John Ross Gillespie (2 June 1935 – 29 January 2023) was a New Zealand

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

player and coach. Gillespie represented New Zealand at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

twice as a player, in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. He was head coach of the New Zealand field hockey team at

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

and of the gold medal-winning team four years later in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

Early life and family

Born in

Timaru Timaru (; ) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...

on 2 June 1935, Gillespie was the son of John Arthur Gillespie and Marjory Hannah Gillespie (née Kennard). He grew up in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, and was educated at

Christchurch Boys' High School Christchurch Boys' High School, often referred to as CBHS, is a single sex state secondary school in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is situated on a site between the suburbs of Riccarton, New Zealand, Riccarton and Fendalton, to the west of ce ...

. In 1957, Gillespie became engaged to Barbara Ellen Sutherland, and they later married and went on to have three children.

Hockey career

Playing

A member of the Woolston club, Gillespie made his representative debut for Canterbury in 1955. He was first selected for the New Zealand national team in 1958, making his debut in the first test against

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Lancaster Park Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 earthqu ...

, Christchurch, on 12 April that year. Gillespie went on to play for New Zealand at two Olympics: in 1960 when New Zealand placed fifth; and in 1964 when New Zealand finished in 13th place.

Coaching

As a teenager, Gillespie began coaching junior teams at the Woolston club, and eventually became coach of the club's senior side. In 1971, he co-coached, with Ray Mackinlay, the New Zealand men's team that finished second at the Southeast Asian regional tournament in Singapore. The following year, he was the sole head coach of the New Zealand side that placed ninth at the

(where he was listed as 17th man on the team sheet, but did not make an appearance on the field). Gillespie was able to keep the core of the 1972 team together for the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

, and the New Zealand team emerged victorious, defeating

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in the final by one goal to nil to win the gold medal. According to

Barry Maister Barry John Maister (born 6 June 1948) is a former New Zealand field hockey player, who was a member of the national team that won the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. He is also a former member of the International Olympic C ...

, Gillespie was not a loud, demonstrative coach. Of Gillespie, Arthur Parkin said: "At first meeting you think, he's a grumpy bastard, when actually he's very personable and very witty".

Honours and awards

In the

1977 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1977 are appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1977. The awards were announced on 30 December 1976 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: Australia,Australia: N ...

, Gillespie was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to hockey. In 1990, the 1976 gold-medal hockey team was inducted into the

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the hall ...

. In 1998, Gillespie was elected a life member of Hockey New Zealand.

Later life and death

Gillespie retired from international coaching after the 1976 Olympics, to concentrate on his sawmill business and his family, although he remained a national selector for a period. He died in Christchurch on 29 January 2023, at the age of 87, having been predeceased by his wife, Barbara, in 2017.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Ross 1935 births 2023 deaths New Zealand male field hockey players Olympic field hockey players for New Zealand Field hockey players at the 1960 Summer Olympics Field hockey players at the 1964 Summer Olympics New Zealand field hockey coaches Sportspeople from Timaru Field hockey players from the Canterbury Region New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Coaches at the 1976 Summer Olympics Coaches at the 1972 Summer Olympics People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen