UBC Sports Hall of Fame
Credited with bringing to Canada the revolutionary Asian style of volleyball. CIAU's first men's National volleyball champions, Western Canadian senior men's champions and Canada's representatives at Tokyo World Student Games in 1967. Also helped win volleyball gold for BC at the first-ever 1967 Canada Winter Games and won the 1967 National Junior championship.
John Baylis, Moshe Bell, Robert Boyle, Bill Clark, Christopher "Kit" Fortune, Victor Guy, Dale Ohman, Mike Rockwell, David Ross, Joe Sigfusson, Ken Witzke, Eric Lessman (coach), Alan Tanchak (manager).
In 1966/67 UBC put a team on the floor that would revolutionize the game of volleyball, not only at UBC but across the nation. This team and season would also experience a flurry of "firsts", proving to be a landmark year for the young group of BC athletes coached by Eric Lessman.
This season the UBC Thunderbirds became the first volleyball team to win the CIAU (now U SPORTS) national men's championship – this championship being newly introduced. To achieve this, the UBC Thunderbirds first had to defeat a very tough University of Winnipeg team to capture the western Canadian title. They then showed surprising power in going undefeated in the final round of the CIAUs, knocking out Mt. Allison 3-0 and Sherbrooke 3-0, to lay claim to being the best university team in the land.
At the same CIAU championships, the western champion UBC Thunderbirds executed another first in that by defeating the Sherbrooke team they were winners of the National Junior (under-21) championship. This young team had prepared itself well for this tournament and was already making its mark on UBC volleyball history.
The Lessman-coached team was involved in yet a third national championship this weekend – the national open championships, open to all senior teams. UBC qualified for the nationals when it earlier won the western open title by defeating the top teams of Alberta, BC and Washington state. The Canadian open championship was the only Canadian title to elude this UBC team this year.
Playing in these three tournaments between the Thursday and Sunday, two of UBC's stars, Mike Rockwell and Ken Witzke, played an amazing 56 games of volleyball.
To underline the strength of UBC's personnel, six members of this team represented this province at another first, the first Canada Winter Games. These six were "pretty much the starting lineup for BC at the championships" states former player, Dale Ohman. The six UBC Thunderbirds on BC’s 1967 team were: Dale Ohman, Ken Witzke, Mike Rockwell, Moshe Bell, Rob Boyle and Christopher ‘Kit’ Fortune.
To cap it off, as 1967 CIAU champions, UBC became the first university volleyball team to represent Canada at the World Student Games, held in Tokyo. "The Olympic games for university students" was an enormous thrill. The opening ceremonies at the Olympic facilities were witnessed by 80,000 fans and for the first time the lads from New Westminster, Winfield, Mission, etc., were besieged by crowds and autograph hounds.
This happened to be a team made up of outstanding high school players from around the province coming together at one time and becoming a unit at UBC. Rockwell was the province's outstanding high school player while Witzke was an incredible athlete, participating in three Varsity sports – volleyball, track and field and rowing. These two, having gained national status, continued to represent Canada internationally in their sport while Ohman, former coach of the UBC men's Varsity volleyball team, is among the longest serving coaches in UBC history, having been head volleyball coach 25 years.
In addition to its triumphant "firsts", this was a team that ultimately revolutionized how the game was played in this country. Until 1967 the game here was played in a style adopted from eastern Europe and while effective, it was the Tokyo Student Games experience that opened the eyes of UBC – the exciting and entertaining Asian style had caught the locals’ fancy. These techniques had not been seen before, at least not in North America and the UBC players both embraced the style and brought it back to North America paving the way to the game we see played today. The intrigue of the Japanese game adopted by UBC in 1967 revolutionized volleyball and how the game would be played and viewed in Canada forever more.
The fact this UBC team was the first to initiate this metamorphosis and the resulting impact not only at the school but provincially and nationally, has to rank as important as its victories on the court this season.
This team is the reason the sport has flourished at UBC. It was UBC volleyball's first year of prominence at the CIAU, national and international levels. It was also the first "made in BC volleyball team" that achieved success of this magnitude. Prior to this, UBC's best players and ultimately teams were made up of those who had emigrated from eastern Europe. This was a team of pioneers of the sport at UBC and according to Dale Ohman 1966-67 is "a year that won't be forgotten."
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
