University of British Columbia Athletics

Long serving UBC basketball coach – 20 years with Varsity team winning seven Canada West championships, two Canadian championships and two Hall of Fame teams. Also coached UBC track & field team for nine years. Established record for most basketball victories in UBC history (since broken), coached UBC World Student Games team and Canada's national team.

Dr. Peter Mullins has the distinction of being one of UBC's longest serving basketball coaches and is considered by many to be the school's most successful. His 20 years as a Thunderbird coach and 337 Thunderbird victories against both US and Canadian competition were established as UBC records. His teams have won the Western Canadian university championship seven times and the Canadian university championship twice.

A native of Australia, Peter received his Diploma of Physical Education at Sydney Teachers College in Australia. He was a superb athlete, participating on three championship basketball teams in his home country in addition to representing Australia in the decathlon at the 1948 Olympics, placing fifth.

Mullins received a track scholarship to Washington State University, where he also lettered in basketball. He captained the Cougars' Pacific Coast Conference basketball team while earning his Masters and Doctorate in Physical Education.

In 1955, at age 29, Mullins was hired by UBC as a member of the staff of the School of Physical Education as well as coach of the UBC track and field and freshman basketball teams. In his first year, Mullins coached his freshman team, the Braves, to the BC Junior Men's championship. Ken Winslade, who played on Mullins' freshman team in 1956-57, credits Peter with refining his shooting, dribbling and defensive skills, helping him to become one of the outstanding UBC players of all time.

While coaching and teaching at UBC, Mullins played basketball in Vancouver's competitive and high profile Senior 'A' league, being chosen in 1959 to the team representing Canada at the World Basketball Tournament in Chile.

In 1962, Mullins took over as coach of the Thunderbird Varsity basketball team, the first of his 20 years as this team's mentor. He remained head coach of UBC's track and field and cross-country teams until 1964, teams that included two UBC Olympians, Doug Kyle and Doug Clement.

Mullins' basketball teams, who competed against teams from the Evergreen (US) Conference, Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Canada West, and Vancouver Senior 'A' league, won Western Canadian university championships in 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1975. His teams won the Canadian university title in 1970 and 1972. Probably his most memorable team, one that has been inducted into UBC's Sports Hall of Fame, was the 1969-70 edition of the Thunderbirds, who finished 28-4 overall, 24-0 against Canadian competition and won the Canadian championship final game by 21 points. Spanning the 1969-70 and 70-71 seasons the 'Birds, under coach Mullins, won an astounding 36 consecutive games against Canadian university competition. The 1972 team was his second team to be inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. It was reported that it was Mullins' ability to create team spirit and compatibility among his players that helped develop these great UBC teams.

In 1982, at age 56, Mullins stepped down to take a sabbatical from his coaching duties but continued to be a teacher and counselor until his retirement. His UBC head-coaching career of 27 years is among the longest in the school's history. Respected by his peers across the country, Mullins, in 1970, was selected to coach Canada's basketball team at the World Student Games. In 1969, Peter had been named as coach of Canada's National Team by the CABA, and piloted a new four-year program of selection and training of Canadian players in preparation for the 1971 Pan American Games and the 1972 Olympics.

His contribution to basketball in Canada has been recognized through the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy, awarded to the Canadian Inter-university Athletic Union's (U SPORTS) Rookie of the Year, his 2004 induction into the BC Basketball Hall of Fame and through UBC's own Peter Mullins trophy, a special tribute that was presented by former UBC coach Bruce Enns in honour of this UBC Hall of Fame coach.

Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian