Matt Tanner died on March 28th just about three weeks after he suffered a major stroke. He was in his mid-30s.
Though two brutal knee injuries curtailed his attempts at representing JBAA, Gary Johnston commented that he was “certainly one of the best to ever play at Oak Bay,” and that Matt would start in Jono’s “all time 15.”
Jono also had this to say:
Matt was on and was a major contributor to the Golden Years of the Oak Bay Barbs. As a Grade 10 Matt was a starter on our 2000 BC Gold Metal Team. In 2001 he scored the winning try from a set piece to give the Barbs a repeat BC High School Championship. In Matt's final year at Oak Bay he co-captained the Barbs to a silver medal in a 3 point loss to Lord Byng. He was selected for U19 Canada in 2001. It was a ‘get’ to have Matt play for The Bays because his one year older brother, Dylan, played for CW.
JBAA head coach, Sean White, along with many Oak Bay grads, looked up to Matt throughout the years and considered him a good friend. Though I knew him through soccer - he played on the Vancouver Island team with my older brother – he always had a level of competitiveness that was just a bit higher than everyone else on the field, and it was always noticed and appreciated.
Please consider supporting his family by donating to their Go Fund Me campaign:
A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, April 7th 2021 at 10:00 AM at the Sequoia Centre (4665 Falaise Dr, Victoria, BC V8Y1B4).