Excerpts from an article in the Irish Review - Vancouver College publication.
Opening it takes some time. There is also a photo and a bit more on Sonny Homer.
http://vc.bc.ca/documents/IrishReviewSpring061.pdf
The B.C. native was respected among peers and
fans alike for his agility and competitive nature. Sonny
ranks in the top 15 of all-time leading receivers for the club,
recording 217 receptions for 3,765 yards and 24 touchdowns. He
also the team?s leading receiver for the 1964 championship
season and ultimately caught more passes than any other B.C.
player during the 1960s.
Sonny retired after the 1968 season having played in 162
games over 11 seasons with the Lions. The impact he left on
the club has been recognized with his inclusion on both the
30th and 40th Anniversary dream teams.
A quotation from the 1955 Collegian, ?The Irish never played better.
Hardrunning Sonny Homer was bursting for sensational gains and
scored three touchdowns?one a 40-yard run, the other a 92-
yard run, and a third a runback after the kickoff. ?
The former Vancouver Sun columnist, Jim Taylor described
Sonny as ?a Vancouver kid who ran so fast he ?seemed to float
over the grass without disturbing a blade.? Taylor also pointed
out that Sonny played with one kidney and a heart that
contained eight bypasses and one metal valve.
?He had surgery after his rookie year,? Taylor wrote. ?He?d
been squeezed between a tackle and a running back in his
senior year at Grey?s Harbour Junior College and emerged
with one kidney squished to the thickness of a 50-cent piece.
The doctors removed it and said he was nuts to play pro-ball.
They told him that he could run out of kidneys. ?Right,?
Sonny said, and played 10 more years.?