Jim Bardsley came to Canada in 1920 at the age of seven. Active in both basketball and tennis, Bardsley, sometimes known as "Bugs," also taught and coached basketball and tennis for many years. His wife, Jean, and sons Tony and Bob, were also well-known names on the tennis scene. Tony is a fellow BC Sports Hall of Famer, while Jean was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame.
During Bardsley’s basketball career he was a member of five Canadian championship teams: the 1936-37 UBC Varsity team, the 1937-38 Vancouver Westerns, the 1938-39 Vancouver Mapleleafs, the 1946-47 Vancouver Meralomas, and the 1947-48 Vancouver Clover Leafs. On the Clover Leafs, he both played and coached. The team has been inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
He was the inter-city league’s top scorer while captaining the 1936-37 UBC Varsity team, which has also been inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. He toured Japan, China, and the Philippines with the Vancouver Westerns during the 1937-38 season.
As far as tennis is concerned, Bardsley was a highly-ranked senior player, winning city, provincial, and national titles. He also worked as a teaching pro from 1946-59.
Bardsley represented Canada in the Gordon Trophy competition (Canada vs. the US, Senior Men) in 1959 and 1961. He also represented Canada in the men’s senior doubles at the Wimbledon tournament in 1970 reaching the semi-finals. He returned to Wimbledon the following year in 1971.
Bardsley is also inducted in the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. For his UBC biography, please visit www.ubcsportshalloffame.com