UBC Sports Hall of Fame
The 1964-65 Men's Swim Team has rightly earned its place in the history books. Led by legendary UBC coach Jack Pomfret and team manager Dave Wingate, this team of 22 gifted athletes including team captains Brian Griffiths and Dave Smith, will be forever known as the first UBC team, in any sport, to win a CIAU National Championship.
This team found success at a time when UBC swimming did not have the amenities of an on campus indoor pool. Instead, having to train solely at the outdoor Empire Pool and an off-campus training site.
1965 marked the first CIAU Men's Swim Championship. The Thunderbird team was led by inspiring performances from butterfly star Bob Walker and backstroke specialist Bill Gillespie, and together accumulated 260 points – 30 more than the next best team, to claim the championship title, and hoist the Nelson C. Hart trophy.
It would take more than 33 years for UBC men to win another swim championship but this group of exceptional men is remembered for paving the way for future success in the pool. Now, nearly 60 years after that first championship win, UBC Men's Swimming proudly holds 20 U SPORTS Championship banners and 21 Canada West titles.
