Burlington has a long and notable sports history that includes many outstanding athletes, coaches, officials, media, and volunteers. The Burlington Sports Hall of Fame (BSHOF) is dedicated to identifying and honouring these individuals who have created this rich tradition. This year, BSHOF is celebrating its 17th year and is proud to be inducting six new honourees at their 2025 induction ceremony on Tuesday, May 27 at the Burlington Golf and Country Club.
Last week, we profiled inductee in the builder category Les Bell; this week, our featured inductee is Terry Martin.
How good an athlete is Terry Martin? He is being inducted into BSHOF for a sport that he really didn’t take seriously until his last year of high school, a sport that he had to seek a university that would take him rather than being recruited. He may be the best walk-on ever. From these beginnings, Terry went on to an All-Canadian career and represented Canada on the world stage.
Terry Martin is a graduate of Nelson High School. Most of his early athletic experiences were in basketball and downhill skiing. In his last year of high school, Terry decided to play for the elite level Westside Volleyball Club. He then wrote a letter to the head coach of Dalhousie University, sent some video, and ended up as a walk-on at the Halifax campus in the fall of 1994.
What a scoop for the Dalhousie Tigers. In his first year, Terry was not only an AUAA (Atlantic University Athletic Association) all-star, he also was named AUAA rookie of the year and CIAU (now USports) rookie of the year, all while helping his team win the bronze medal at the nationals. Over his four-year career at Dal, he was twice named team MVP and was Dal’s Athlete of the Year in those same years. The 1997 team went 10–0 to win their 11th consecutive conference championship and won the silver medal at nationals. Terry was named All-Canadian. Terry was an AUAA All-Star each year, earning league MVP honours twice. At the National Championships, he was named tournament all-star twice. He was also named first team All-Canadian in 1997 and 1998. He was awarded the Climo Award as the athlete of the year at Dalhousie. For his efforts, Terry was inducted into the Dalhousie Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
During and after his time in Halifax, Terry had great success on the world stage. He was a member of the FISU (International University Sports Federation) team in 1996 and 1998, representing Canada at the World University Games in Sicily in 1997. In his ten-year career with Volleyball Canada’s senior men’s team, Terry played in three FIVB World Championships and three World Cup events.
Terry went on to enjoy a 16-year professional career in Europe, competing in France, Italy, Puerto Rico, Russia, Poland, Cyprus, and Qatar.
Terry had a great career at the university level in Canada, earning national honours on many occasions. Next, he represented Canada on the world stage for a decade, then followed that up with a professional journey that saw him play around the world. For all that, the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame is honoured to induct Terry Martin in the Athlete category.
This year’s induction reception will be held Tuesday, May 27, at the Burlington Golf and Country Club with Steve Foxcroft as emcee. Unfortunately, the event is sold out.
