Geoffrey Gowan, CM, (November 2, 1929 – May 16, 2013) was a Canadian sports broadcaster for the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

and a sport executive at Coaching Association of Canada. He died at the age of 83 after battling with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

since 1996.

Biography

Gowan was born in

Ravenglass, Cumbria Ravenglass is an English coastal village in west Cumbria that lies between Barrow-in-Furness and Whitehaven, on the estuary of three rivers: the Esk, Mite and Irt. It is the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park. Formerly in ...

, England. Leaving Loughborough Colleges, where he was a lecturer for the United States]in 1965 to obtain an M.Sc. from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, a Ph.D. from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. Whilst at Loughborough he brought the fundamentals of track and field to all students with his lively instruction and the use of key phrases. He coached the track and field team of the mid-sixties working alongside Basil Stamatakis. His North American coaching career began as a professor and athletics coach at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

in 1968. He became the technical director and president of CAC from 1972 to 1996.

Cultural impact

The Geoff Gowan Award recognizes the lifetime achievements of Canadian coaches by the Coaching Association of Canada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowan, Geoffrey 1929 births 2013 deaths British emigrants to Canada Canadian sports announcers Deaths from Parkinson's disease in Canada People from Ravenglass Purdue University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Academic staff of McMaster University