CapU Blues sports info
A pair of accomplished Capilano Blues men's soccer coaches were both honoured at the North Shore Sport Awards ceremony held March 5 at Centennial Theatre.
Former Capilano athletic director Joe Iacobellis was inducted into the North Shore Sports Hall of Fame, class of 2025, along with four other inductees while current men's head coach Steve Millar took the Coach Award for the 2025 calendar year.
NORTH SHORE SPORTS HALL OF FAME - NVRC WEB PAGE
Iacobellis (pictured above with award presenter and NVRC director, recreation and culture Heather Turner) was the Blues men's soccer coach from 1977 to 1992 and led his teams to CCAA National Championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. His 1988 team's victory was the first CCAA title in any sport for the Blues. The native of East Vancouver and long-time resident of the North Shore took over as Blues athletic director in 1991 and served in that role until 2012. The Blues soccer programs, men's and women's, were each recognized with the CCAA Supremacy Award for the years 1974 to 1999, the first quarter-century of CCAA competition. The Blues soccer programs have combined for 11 CCAA national titles, all of which came during Iacobellis' time as a coach or athletic director. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2024.
Steve Millar led the Blues to the 2025 PACWEST provincial title, the first conference banner for the Blues in men's soccer since 2018. The Blues hosted the event at the CapU Squamish turf field and entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed. Millar's direction allowed the Blues to complete the gruelling task of winning the semifinal, which included 30 minutes of extra time plus penalty kicks, and then facing No. 1-seed Langara in the gold medal game the next day. Millar's side had enough left in the tank to claim a 2-1 win and the gold medal with outstanding play from tournament MVP goalkeeper Graydon Sherle and tournament top forward Tommy Millar, the team's captain.
The 2025 season was Millar's third with the Blues after inheriting a team that went winless in 2022. In the three seasons since, Capilano has shown marked improvement and increased interest from top young recruits, culminating in Capilano's latest PACWEST title.
NORTH SHORE SPORT AWARDS - 2025 WINNERS
The annual North Shore Sport Awards celebrate achievement at all levels: community, high school, provincial, national and international, and includes categories for coaching and officiating. This unique event salutes those who excel in all levels of sport, fosters pride in the North Shore sport community and raises the profile of the best of community sport. The stories that emerge from the Comeback and Fair Play award categories are inspiring and a testimony to the benefits of sport.
