Mustangs at the Summer Olympics

By Arlo Burness

(left to right) Mel Brock, Roger Jackson, Johnny Loaring, Kelly Russell

With the Paris Olympics just wrapping up, it is hard not to think about the extraordinary talents of athletes around the world. Western has shown dedication and determination to foster athletic excellence, with numerous Western athletes, coaches and managers taking part in Olympic Games for over 100 years.

Western’s history with the Olympics started with John Howard Crocker. Before joining Western as director of the physical education department, Crocker was named the manager of the Canadian national team at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, UK, marking the first time Canada sent an organized team to represent the country. Crocker went on to support the Canadian teams for another 40 years, overseeing groups of athletes and acting as a judge for men’s wrestling in 1928. He was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1960.

In 1912, Western saw its first athlete at the Olympic Games when Mel Brock came in fourth in the 800 metre track event. Many track and field athletes followed in his footsteps over the next thirty years. Johnny Loaring was the first medalist, bringing home silver in the 400 metre hurdles competition in 1936. The 1952 Olympics saw six Western athletes on the basketball team, including George Wearring, BA'50, Western alumni and former physical eduation faculty member from 1962-1990. The basketball team placed thirteenth.

The first Western Gold was won by rower Roger Jackson, who took home the prize in 1964 in the Men’s Coxless Pairs, alongside George Hungerford. Jackson was also the first Western alum to compete in multiple games, returning to the Olympics – in 1968 and 1972.

While Canada is known for its dominance of the Winter Olympic Games, recent athletes have proven their force as summer competitors. Kelly Russell, BA’09 played a part in Canada’s bronze rugby medal in 2016, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics saw Western alum Susanne Grainger, MA’15 on the gold medal Coxed Eight women’s rowing team. Behind the scenes, gold medalist and London-famous Damian Warner received support from Western coaching excellence, including Vickie Croley, BEd’87 and Dave Collins, and from former Mustang student-athletes Gar Leyshon, and Dennis Nielsen, BA’85, BEd’86. A number of Western athletes, and coaches were involved in Paris 2024, including rowers Cassidy Deane, Jill Moffatt, Michelle Darvill, Iain Brambell BEd’98, Western women’s basketball coach Nate McKibbon, and 1500m runner Kate Current, BESc’21, MESc’23 along with her coach Guy Schultz, MA'00, head coach of the Mustangs cross country team, assistant coach with the track and field team and coordinator of Western Intermurals.

Check out our growing database of Western Mustangs Olympians and Paralympians on the John P Metras Museum’s website. If you notice we have missed anyone please feel free to reach out to us at metrasmuseum@gmail.com.