I had the desire, hands, speed and fitness to beat anyone...this was football at its highest level... and I took it very seriously.

Lynne’s Leclair put the S in KATS, an acronym for, Killer And The Streaks. But she was so much more than a speedy receiver. “I had the desire, hands, speed and fitness to beat anyone.” says Lynn, who played reciever and safety for Mardi Gras and then the Kats.
It was her desire to be the best that enabled her to play on 7 National Touch Football championship teams. But it was her passion that elevated her above her peers.

Below: Lynne describes her touch football experience:
I heard about the league while playing ice hockey with Shirley Phillips (whom I overheard talking to another teammate about how much fun they were having playing football)...My EARS perked up...you have to be kidding? A football league?? I’ve got to play! Well, I was on the field with them the next week. Our team was in the second division and coached by Duncan Kerr. We had a very good and patient QB Denise Caudell.

Denise and Duncan had the patience to teach us the game and we won quite a few games and boy did we have fun. Duncan, I was later to learn, was one of the most astute minds in Touch Football. We couldn’t practice enough for me. I wanted to get better and I wanted to win games. So Duncan invited me to play with a group of men and women from various teams that got together informally on Saturdays at Central Park in Burnaby. Oh what fun! I loved playing against the men and learned much about how to run more precise patterns, to dive for balls and how to play better positioning on defence and to read what was happening in the game. Through these informal Saturdays I met Larry Doan [See Larry Doan ](co-coach of Mardi Gras)[See Mardi Gras ].

After 2 years with the Avengers I wanted to change teams. I wanted to play at the top of the league and I wanted to play with Laura Stewart [See Laura Stewart ]. I had seen all the big teams play in the first division and I knew she was the best. I figured with my speed and her arm good things could happen. I was ambitious...I wanted to win Championships!!!! In the winter of ‘86 I asked Larry Doan if I could have a try out. Me a second division player and them the Division one Champs. Was I crazy?? Nope, I was confident. I knew I could make the team if they gave me a chance and they did. So..it was winter I had a couple of months to prepare before spring league. I got my husband to take me to Central Park in Burnaby and we practiced and we practiced...many hours. I had to be prepared for a big step up in calibre of play. It worked, I improved. I was confident and off I went to my first Mardi Gras try out. I was terrified!!!! Those girls were considerably older, wiser, more experienced and they looked serious in practice.

Everything was so organized and the drills were precise. Colin and Larry ran a tight ship and the practices were awesome! I loved the discipline and being amongst the best! I guess I did alright and I made the team. They had 2 great QB’s in Laura and Radar. Very different athletes but both excellent QB’s. Laura would run around and drill the ball at you where as Radar stood in the pocket, picked apart the defence and would throw a ball with ‘touch’ to the open receiver. Both could throw farther than I’d ever seen but Killer was the fiercest competitor I had ever been around. Our practices were like games. One on ones and scrimmages were all out and fiercely competitive. We all had the will to win, even in drills!

After a great season we made the playoffs and despite losing our Laura to a knee injury we won the ‘86 Nationals with Radar as our QB. We beat the multiple Champs and favourites (Ottawa’s Voyageurs) on our own home turf in Vancouver!!!!

Over the next decade we won 5 straight Nationals between ‘86 and ‘90, then 2 more when Trudy Laura, Annie and I departed the team. We started up a new team the Kats...Acronym for Killer and the streaks. In ‘93 and ‘94 we again won National Championships. We beat our old team mates and now fierce rivals the Labatt’s Dry in ‘93 and Meralomas in ‘94 (same team, different name and sponsor). Laura was outstanding. Our games during the Championships were lined with fans. Everyone marvelled at how Laura could throw the ball! Her talent for throwing the ball was unparalleled. She impressed everyone who saw her play including all levels of the men’s leagues. Our league games, playoffs and provincials during that decade were often better than Nationals. The league had grown, then condensed into several serious, skilled football teams. It had grown immensely competitive over the years. Teams worked out hard, the women were fit, exceptional athletes were drawn from many sports.

We loved our sport, each other, and the opportunity to play Touch Football.

-Lynne Leclair (#88 for the Mardi Gras, Labatt’s Dry Gals, The Kats).

Aside from the other Hall of Fame inductees, Lynne says other standouts included:

Radar....Basketball player and fantastic QB in Touch Football...a leader.
Karen Mills...A Softball Superstar....great rusher in Touch Football for Kaban and the Kats
Jessica Hayes...Softball star...a great rival from Kaban...on defence and offence she led her team for years.
Sarah Hill...National team member in Field Hockey. Excellent receiver and defender for the Rebels and our Kats team.
Dawn-Storey Grey....National Softball Team...very competitive and great hands as a receiver.
Betty Watt...Softball Star best center to play Touch Football, ever.

Tracy Huclack QB for Kaban our long time rivals. A Superstar Softball pitcher. Tall and Strong she could throw the ball a mile and never quit. Always gave her team a chance to win. She could defend too!
Morgan Kyle...Basketball, Rugby, Softball. A standout in every sport, very smart and skilled at Touch Football. A QB, receiver, and DB, one of our leaders on the Kats.
Debbie Smallwood...An NCAA track athlete at Oklahoma State(javelin), Softball superstar...Excellent Corner in Touch Football, good hands and a leader on the Kats.
I’m forgetting several but these stand out in my mind.

-Lynne Leclair

Hockey player, a NAIA All American at SFU in track(sprints), Captain of the National Rugby Team.

"Lynn was pure speed. As a fast runner she could break a game open getting behind defenders. I loved playing safety with her and it was a great combination to make QB’s think twice about throwing the ball in our areas.
"

-Deb Huband

"Lynn LeClair: could run like the wind and she had amazing hands, she was tall 5’7” ish. If she got open it was guaranteed 6 points. She also played safety so she usually caught any one that managed to catch a ball and get by another defender.
"

-Marla Britton

"A coaches dream!!!
Soft spoken.... Almost shy ....until the whistle went!!!! Never argued, never complained and always played amazingly well.
I remember almost crying when she flew up the side line after one of Killer’s bombs ( that was 5 yds over her head ) and laid out completely horizontal and caught it about 6 inches off the hard packed ground and held on as she smashed into the dirt. Will never forget the look of concentration and determination on her face game in and game out.... Amazing hands and amazing desire to win!!! "

-Larry Doan