All-around athlete at UBC 1936 to '41; five years starred with 'Birds hockey team, captained UBC football team for three years and for three seasons a standout UBC rugby player. Served two terms as president of UBC men's athletics - lost his life while serving in World War II.
Jim Harmer entered UBC in 1936, having been a King George high school (Vancouver) rugby and hockey star. Harmer provided this year's Thunderbird team with some much needed hope and had no trouble making the Varsity team alongside some of the veteran greats of UBC rugby, such as Howie McPhee, Strat Leggatt and Dave Carey.
While playing rugby his first year, Harmer was also an impressive newcomer with the Varsity hockey team where the Ubyssey described him as "a big steady-playing defenseman." "With Harmer and Taylor in there, I contemplate a victory in tomorrow's game", stated coach Gordon Mathias prior to their hockey tilt with the Washington Huskies. The Ubyssey used terms such as "invincible", "shining light" and "Thunderbird star" to describe Harmer's play on the ice this season. Not only did Harmer "bounce the opposition with abandon" as well as score his share of points with the hockey team, but he continued to perform on the rugby field, leading the UBC Thunderbirds to both Miller Cup and McKechnie Cup victories this 1936/37 season.
In 1937/38 the campus rugby people were disappointed as "one of Varsity's best all-around athletes has twisted his affection from the English to the Canadian brand of rugby." Harmer had left rugby to become a two-way player for Maury Van Vliet's football team, his gridiron year highlighted by his kicking the winning field goal for UBC in its Homecoming game victory over the University of Alberta.
Harmer again was the defensive star of the UBC Thunderbirds hockey team this 1937/38 season, a season which featured a hockey series with the USC Trojans in Los Angeles during Rose Bowl week.
In 1938/39 Harmer, a Commerce student, strongly considered spending more time with his studies and less with his three sport specialties. However, it was not long before he rejoined coach A.B. Carey's Varsity rugby team where he not only was more of a scoring threat this season but was the "scrum captain and devastating tackler" for this Miller Cup team. He also rejoined the UBC Thunderbirds hockey team where he was described as putting in 60 minutes of defensive work each game. According to the Ubyssey "His speedy breaking, sure passing and iron man tactics kept the whole team fairly cohesive." In Spokane, against Gonzaga, "Get number 12" was the battle cry of the spectators as Harmer checked, skated, shot and generally raised havoc with the Bulldogs, who were led by future NHL goalie Pat McCool. In between his rugby, hockey and studies this season, Harmer found time to write columns for the Ubyssey newspaper, covering both rugby and hockey.
In 1939/40 the versatile Harmer decided to return to Thunderbird football and the coaching of Maury Van Vliet. This was to be one of the great teams in UBC history recording an undefeated season while winning both the BC championship and the Hardy Cup as champion of western Canadian collegiate football. Harmer was a major factor in this team's success, as exemplified by the Ubyssey's account of Harmer during this team's first game; (Harmer) "backed up the line…intercepted two passes and recovered one fumble...joined Joplin and Straight as 60 minute men playing the entire game without substitution." He was a threat on offence as well, scoring a touchdown in each of the two Hardy Cup game victories over Saskatchewan.
Harmer was also the President of UBC Men's Athletics this 1939/40 year, presiding over the body that governed all matters pertaining to athletics on campus. And for the fourth consecutive year he suited up with the UBC Thunderbirds hockey team, again playing "heads up hockey" on defense before crowds of up to 2000.
President of the UBC Men's Athletics for an unprecedented second term in 1940/41, Harmer did his best to help field a UBC football team at a time when the war effort was the campus priority. As the team's captain he again was a 60-minute man in what turned out to be an abbreviated schedule. Upon completion of this his third football season, he returned for his third season with the rugby team at the same time playing his fifth season for the UBC Thunderbirds hockey team, living up to his reputation as "the most versatile athlete on the campus."
Jim graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in the spring of 1941. He also received his seventh Big Block award that spring, which was at the time, a school record. Harmer then joined the BC Regiment DCOR (Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles), which became the 28th Canadian Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Regiment), CASF. Sadly, he was killed at Normandy on August 19, 1944.
Remembered to this day as "a strong, tough playing competitor", "a fine individual" and "a special young man", Harmer touched many and set standards for achievement in a life so brief.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
