UBC's track & field and cross-country coach from 1964/65 until 1986/87 - UBC's "Golden Age" of track and field. Coached UBC to four national titles. Many of UBC's track & field records were set during his time and he produced 14 Olympians. Was Olympic coach for Canada in '72 and '80.
When looking at the builders of sport at UBC, one has to take notice of one Mr. Lionel Pugh. A Physical Education graduate of University of Wales and Carnegie College in the United Kingdom, Pugh was appointed to the staff of UBC's School of Physical Education and Recreation in 1964. From 1964/65 until 1986/87, 23 years, Pugh was head coach of UBC's men's and women's cross-country teams and men's and women's track and field teams. This was the "golden era" of UBC track athletics, with high performance athletes, Olympians, records set and championships won. It was Pugh's era, particularly the early 1970's that has proven to be unparalleled in UBC track and field history.
Before coming to UBC, Pugh, who had been an international level athlete himself, coached the British national track team for 11 years in addition to lending his expertise to BBC coverage of national and international sports events. UBC was fortunate to have this experienced and skilled track and field coach, one who had authored several books on the subject.
The "new age" of UBC track and field began to emerge in the mid to late 1960's when performances by athletes such as Chip Barrett, Ron Parker, Heather Campbell and Judy McBride started to raise the track team's profile. In fact, UBC's teams in both 1965 and 1966 were winners of the "National" Intercollegiate indoor track and field championship in Winnipeg, the first of four national championships for Pugh. In 1967/68, the UBC men were victorious in the inaugural Canada West championship and featured the likes of Ken French, Tom Howard, Gordon Dong and Sam Vandermeulen. The next year both men's and women's track and field teams, led by Ann Covell and Ken Elmer, were crowned Canada West champions as UBC had now seemed to turn the corner and become a force in Canadian track. These were just the beginnings as over the next decade and a half Pugh, whose special expertise was the high jump, would take UBC from track mediocrity to the status of meet champions.
1969/70: After two successive Canada West track and field championships it was time for Pugh's cross-country teams to make their mark. This year UBC's women's cross-country team, featuring young Thelma Fynn, captured Canada West honours.
1971/72:was a very special year as all four of Pugh's teams were Canada West champions and one, the women's cross-country, was national CIAU champion. The men's team in cross-country led by Bill Smart, finished a close second to Western Ontario at the ClAUs. The women's CIAU championship team, which won several meets including the PNW championship, was paced by Thelma Wright (nee Fynn) and Cheryl Spowage. In track and field, the men's team led by Rick Cuttell, outdistanced seven other Canada West schools to win the western crown while the women's track and field team, one of this school's finest, was paced to the Canada West title by Patti Loverock, Brenda Eisler, Debbie Brill and Penny May, all of whom won gold at the championships.
1972/73: The women's track and field team won Canada West again this year demolishing its opposition at the big meet by winning eight of nine events. Wright and May with 2 golds each led the way while Loverock, Joan Pavelich, Wendy Porteous and the 4x100 relay team were also gold medal winners. Meanwhile both of Pugh's cross-country teams were tops in the west. The women, paced by Joan Corcoran and UBC Hall of Famer Thelma Wright (who at the time was a Commonwealth Games and world cross country bronze medallist), took the five woman team to victory over University of Victoria, University of Calgary and University of Alberta. The winning men's team was led by Rick Hughson and UBC Hall of Famer Ken Elmer.
1973/74: Again Pugh guided an awesome women's track and field team. It was both Canada West and CIAU national champions. This was the third year in a row it had won the Canada West title and were led by Thelma Wright, Sheila Currie, Jean Sparling and Caroline Van de Pol. Pugh also coached both cross-country teams to Canada West titles. The women were led by the "mighty atom" Thelma Wright, the men by John Currie, with the women also capturing both the BC and Pacific Northwest cross-country championships.
1974/75: The hits just keep on coming! For the fourth consecutive year both men's and women's cross-country teams were Canada West champions. UBC athletes Sheila Currie, Leslie Stubbs and Linda Rossetti finished one, two and three in the individual standings while for the men, John Wheeler, Chris White and Gerry Lister topped the rankings. Meanwhile for the fifth time, but the first in three years, Pugh had a men's track and field Canada West Championship. The champions were paced by gold medal winners Rick Cuttell, Dean Bauck, Roland Nickles, Chris White, Gerry Lister, Dennis Hoy and Frank Marlatt. Cuttell also picked up two silvers as well as the 1975 BC Athlete of the Year Award.
1975/76: Coach Pugh guided yet another women's track and field team to victory. For the fifth time in six years it was number one in Canada West. UBC's individual gold medal winners were led by Sheila Currie and Ginny Fisher, each with two.
1976/77: The men's cross-country team won its fifth Canada West championship during the last six years, defeating the five other Canada West schools in the process.
1977/78: Another women's track and field Canada West title, the sixth in eight years. Anne Mackie-Morelli was the star along with Sharon Williams, both gold medal winners at the championship. Pugh's women's cross-country team was also victorious at this Canada West meet. Sheila Currie, who for the fourth time led UBC to a championship, combined with Sharon Young to be top point-getters.
1982/83, 1983/84, 1984/85 and 1985/86: Four consecutive years of Canada West men's track and field champions. It was also the era of UBC Hall of Famer Simon Hoogewerf. Hoogewerf, who received guidance from both Pugh and another Hall of Famer, Doug Clement, won a total of seven CIAU gold medals during these years. Hoogewerf dominated the 1980s as Thelma Wright had done the 1970s and coach Pugh was there to span both decades. For Pugh it was 14 Canada West track and field championships (not including his pre-CIAU 1965 and 1966 national victories) to go together with his 11 Canada West cross-country team victories. A total of 25 plus four nationals during his 23 years.
He wasn't finished yet. Going out in style in 1986/87, the track team even though edged out of this year's Canada West title, did have representation at the CIAU finals where it saw CIAU championship performances from Joanne Gaspard and Jeannie Cockcroft, both of whom won gold medals.
During Pugh's 23 years at UBC, 14 of the athletes from his teams represented Canada at the Olympics. His knowledge, technique and forthright manner helped develop Thelma Wright, John Hawkins, Patti Loverock, Tom Howard, Simon Hoogewerf, Debbie Brill, Rick Cuttell, Bill Smart, Anne Mackie-Morelli, Ian Newhouse, Ann Covell, Ken Elmer, John Beers and Brenda Eisler. Pugh himself was a Canadian Olympic coach in both 1972 and 1980.
It is also interesting to note that of the  recorded UBC all-time track and field individual records, more than half of them were set under the guidance of coach Pugh.
"No doubt he built the program" states former UBC coach Carmyn James. "He was innovative and had a high knowledge of Bio-mechanics." According to Thelma Wright "He definitely had excellent knowledge...he was a coach with a lot to impart. He was the only one who made me train as hard as I did. I used what I learned from Lionel...he made me a good coach."
The Ubyssey, in summarizing an excellent 1984/85 track season, stated with regard to Lionel Pugh and Doug Clement, "Despite maintaining low-profiles, these two coaches are among the best in the nation. Clement played an integral role in setting up UBC's now famous sports medicine clinic. Pugh coaches Olympic high jumper Debbie Brill when he is not watching over Thunderbirds Jeannie Cockcroft and Tammy Lutz." For their Olympic involvement both these coaches received national coaching recognition awards at UBC's 1985 Big Block banquet.
According to former UBC high jump star Dean Bauck, "Pugh was a very good technician and was well respected. A lot of Debbie Brill's success can be attributed to him." Bill Morrish, a former UBC athlete under Pugh contends, "Lionel was a driving force in track and field. He was astute and innovative. He was among the first to utilize the video camera, the treadmill for technique and weight training for middle distance running."
Jeannie Cockcroft, UBC's all-time best female high jumper, had nothing but nice things to say about Lionel. "He is one of the reasons I'm still involved in the sport. He taught me well, although I don't think I'll ever live up to his expectations...he focused on the technical execution of the sport, something coaches have moved away from...he had the very best technical expertise...he always said he had a very good pair of eyes and could quickly spot what the problem was...he was very much a perfectionist - he was really excellent!"
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
