The early years of McGill Swimming
The story of McGill Swimming is one of great distinction. The Men’s swimming program was included in the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union program for the first time in 1909. The first six years of competition saw McGill win championships each year, and 1930 saw the start of a five year reign for the swimming team. McGill regained the swimming crown in 1949 at Toronto in the most decisive win ever registered in the C.I.A.U., winning every event but diving. Queen’s dropped out of the circuit that year. 1950 saw a dual meet between McGill and Toronto in which McGill won, once again. In 1972, the Men’s team was the last team from Quebec to win a C.I.A.U swimming title in 1972 with Dave Johnson (Head Coach - National team ‘96) as team captain.
The McGill Women’s Swimming team originated in 1940, after previous attempts at starting one had failed. Until 1945, all intercollegiate meets were telegraphic, but after the war traveling meets were inaugurated. Toronto was host to the first meet in 1945. Since the start of these meets, there has been a continual battle between Toronto and McGill for the crown. McGill has taken the championship eight times and tied for it once in 1947. In 1950, McGill, in a thrilling battle, won by only one point over their rivals. At that time, only five universities, McMaster, Queen’s, Western, Toronto and McGill sent teams to the meet. Coach Gladys Bean is the one responsible for building up these teams. She started the team in her undergraduate years (the 40’s) and continued coaching until 1962. With her time and effort McGill became the dominant force on the swimming scene.
In 1972, the year the Men’s team won a National title, funding to the swimming teams was cut down to the strict minimum. In 1976, the McGill Women’s swimming team was combined with the men’s program to form for the first time a co-ed team. In 1987, the Swimming team was re-established as a level 1 team with full funding, and returned to the Top ten in the C.I.A.U .
The names of McGill students that stand out in memory are many and too numerous to mention in this brief history. Their performances are all part of McGill’s swimming legacy and will long be remembered. Many of these former stars are still active in the Graduates swimming club, and their work and interest deserve much praise.
Through your years at McGill, your name will also be associated with the prowess, dedication and performances that so many have combined to produce.
For example, at the opening of the new McGill Sports Hall of Fame (September 19, 1996), two former swimmers were inducted :
George Ritchie Hodgson, born on October 12, 1893 in Montreal, was considered by many to be the greatest swimmer in Canadian history. He swam and played waterpolo at McGill from 1912 to 1916 while studying engineering. He became the first Canadian to win two Olympic gold medals, capturing the honors at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm.. After serving in the Great War he returned to compete at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. Hodgson was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Sport Hall of Fame in 1949, and died in Montreal in 1983.
Dr. F. Munroe Bourne, was born in Victoria on June 26, 1910. He graduated from McGill in 1933 with honors in English & Political Science. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, and returned to McGill in 1935 before graduating in Medicine in 1937. Bourne captained three McGill teams (swimming, track, waterpolo). One of McGill’s finest international athletes, he held five intercollegiate swim records and two Canadian records. He swam for Canada at three Olympics: Amsterdam (1928), Los Angeles (1932) and Berlin (1936), winning a bronze medal in the 800 Freestyle relay. At the 1936 Olympics, he captained the swim team and anchored the track team relay squad ! H also won three gold medals at the 1930 British Empire Games (Commonwealth ) in Hamilton. Bourne was also inducted into the Canadian Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in 1972, and died in 1992 in Rothesay, N.B.
This is just part of McGill’s swimming tradition. Learn it, and help build it.
