Dick McClure

Dick McClure grew up in Comox on Vancouver Island, and attended the University of British Columbia, where he studied mechanical engineering. As an athlete, McClure represented Canada at the 1956 Olympics in the men’s coxed eight and at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in the men’s coxless four, winning silver at both events.

In 1977, McClure joined Burnaby Lake Rowing Club as a volunteer coach, in addition to training and coaching UBC rowers who aspired to make the national team. He was described by UBC coach Mike Pearce as being “the stepping stone from UBC to the national team.”

McClure coached the Canadian national team at the 1984 and 1996 Olympics, and has coached numerous successful Canadian rowers, including Kathleen Heddle, Mike Rascher, Pat Turner, Brenda Taylor, Megan Belahanty, Laryssa Biesenthal, Tracey Duncan, and Tricia Smith.

McClure was also dedicated to his roles as a club-level coach and sports administrator, and contributed countless hours towards Burnaby Lake Rowing Club, managing the facility and its equipment in addition to coaching.

Among his many accolades are inductions into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1958), the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame (1976) and the University of British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame (2010) as a member of the 1956 silver medal winning men’s coxed eight and into the BC (1999), UBC (2002) and Burnaby (2003) Sports Hall of Fames as an individual. A rowing scholarship at Simon Fraser University is named in his honour.

Career Highlights

• 1956 SILVER (M8+) – Olympics
• 1958 SILVER (M4-) – Commonwealth Games
• Coached the Canadian national team at the 1984 and 1996 Olympics
• Coached at the club level and contributed numerous hours to managing Burnaby Lake Rowing Club