University of British Columbia Athletics

Started his nationally-recognized coaching and administration career at UBC. As UBC's first director of Physical Education, was instrumental in launching and establishing UBC's Intramural program. Coached UBC teams in eight different sports, only UBC coach to win both a Canadian basketball championship and a Western football championship.

Maury Van Vliet was a baseball and football star at the University of Oregon in 1933/34 and 1934/35. After graduating with a B.Sc. degree in 1935 Van Vliet turned down an offer from the New York Yankees to apply for the newly created post at UBC of Physical Education Director. Having been accepted by UBC, Maury began his work with the session 1935/36.

As a result of Van Vliet's intense interest in physical fitness and full participation, he was able to initiate, develop and ultimately supervise a very successful intramural program at UBC. It was not long before Van Vliet was being given credit for the success of sports on campus in general, the spirit and enthusiasm of intramurals in particular.

While overseeing all athletic activities on campus, Maury also coached the Varsity basketball team, football team, track team, boxing team, wrestling team and, for a short while with Johnny Owen, the Varsity hockey team. In hockey, Van Vliet was famous for his between period pep talks.

Van Vliet experienced most of his coaching success with the UBC basketball and football teams. In basketball he guided UBC to two Canadian championships. The first was in 1937, with UBC defeating the eastern champion Windsor Fords in a thrilling battle held in Vancouver, BC. The second, in 1941, was a team that rose to the occasion by winning its final 11 playoff games culminating in the defeat of Toronto in the final, four games to none. He also coached the 'Birds to a BC basketball championship in 1945, molding a team that the following year would be one of UBC's very best.

In football, the "Maurymen" were winners of the Western Collegiate Championship and the Hardy Cup in 1938. It was Maury's peerless understanding of the principles and technicalities of the game that made UBC's team so efficient.

In 1939 the UBC football team defeated Saskatchewan proving once again to be the best in Western Intercollegiate competition. The 'Birds that season went undefeated in league play (10-0) and in addition to the Hardy Cup won the BC Football Championship. Van Vliet was dubbed "The Guiding Genius" of this very successful team, which was touted as the "Wonder Team" by the downtown papers and has gone down in history as one of UBC's best football teams ever. Van Vliet was the only coach in UBC history to win both a Canadian basketball championship and a Western Intercollegiate football championship and he did each twice!

In January 1942 Van Vliet added rugby to the list of teams he coached at UBC, now numbering eight. It was his coaching techniques that were so valued, as was the case with rugby where he was not totally familiar with the game. He did however coach the team to a Tisdall Cup victory in 1943.

When UBC won the Pacific Coast Cross Country championship in Spokane, Washington in both 1943 and 1944, the Ubyssey reported that much of the credit for winning should go to Van Vliet and his ability to train the entrants. In 1944 his successful cross country team, basketball team and intramural program earned Maury a nomination for the Vancouver News Herald's "Sportsman of the Year" award.

While attending his coaching duties these years he continued to manage, promote and keep statistics for campus intramurals. During the war he was instrumental in bringing fraternities into the program.

In September 1940 a plan was submitted by Van Vliet outlining a program of required physical education for all faculties. It was a goal toward which Van Vliet had expended much energy but partly due to the war, the goal was not realized until 1945. In 1943 Van Vliet was among those to propose a program for the creation of a Physical Education Department and courses leading to a Phys Ed degree, later to be implemented under the directorship of Bob Osborne.

In 1945 Van Vliet left UBC after ten years on campus to accept a position of Professor and to create the Department of Physical Education for men at the University of Alberta. This was to be an incredible 30-year career as dean of Physical Education. He also coached some of Alberta's greatest basketball teams, achieving unparalleled success, honours and recognition both in Alberta and nationally in the field of athletics, health and physical education. In 2009 Van Vliet was honoured by the B.C. Lions as a Pioneer and Builder of football in the province of British Columbia.

The Ubyssey in January 1938 caught the essence of Van Vliet in mid-UBC career with the caption, "Genial, man of dynamic personality – one of the reasons sport at UBC is definitely on the upswing these days."

Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian