Winnipeg – The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is pleased to announce that Dr. John Hogg is the 2015 recipient of the Geoff Gowan Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was handed out at the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Awards Gala Friday night at the Delta Winnipeg hotel.

The gala recognizes Canada’s most dedicated, inspiring, and successful coaches. Annually, award recipients are honoured for exemplifying the values and competencies of the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and for their influence in positively shaping the Canadian sport community. The event was emceed by multi-Paralympic medalists Elisabeth Walker-Young and Stephanie Dixon, respectively Chef de Mission and Assistant Chef de Mission at the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games.

The Geoff Gowan Award was created by the CAC in 1996 and recognizes lifetime contributions to coaching development. It is awarded to coaches who have presented a positive public image of coaching and who have enhanced the role of the coach with the Canadian public. The award resides at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary, Alberta.

“For over 30 years, Dr. Hogg has successfully coached at the club, university, and international levels, and has guided many athletes to world class competition. His achievements truly represent the outcomes of a lifetime dedicated to coaching. John is fully deserving of this award and we’re honoured to be able to celebrate his contributions to sport and coaching in Canada,” said Gabor Csepregi, Chair of the CAC Board of Directors.

Dr. Hogg has worked both as a professional coach and as an applied sport psychologist. He coached the Scottish and British National Swim Teams before being recruited to Canada in 1974. In 1976, he was appointed coach to Canada’s Olympic Swim Team and coached several national teams. One year later, he accepted the position of Head Swim Coach at the University of Alberta and was privileged to work with many successful teams from 1975 to 1988. In 1990, John was appointed a full Professor at the University of Alberta, teaching sport psychology and performance enhancement both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“I am both delighted and honoured to receive the 2015 Geoff Gowan Award. Geoff was instrumental in persuading me as a young national swim coach in Great Britain to come to Canada in 1974 as part of the ’76 Olympic Games preparations. He pointed out the many benefits of making huge leap to new challenges in a new country and made me promise to make a serious contribution to the education of swim coaches, something I tried to do with his continued encouragement and support along the way,” commented Dr. Hogg.

His expertise, particularly in the area of mental preparation and performance psychology, led to many invitations, both as a clinician and as a motivational speaker, all over the world at major conferences, seminars, and congresses. He has also published extensively both in research and popular journals and served as mentor to many young, aspiring coaches.

Since retiring from the University of Alberta in 2003 and relocating to British Columbia, he continues to offer his expertise to performers, individual athletes, teams, coaches, parents, and officials in a variety of sports at the developmental and elite levels throughout the province. He presents regularly at coaches conferences both in Alberta and British Columbia.

For pictures and videos of Dr. Hogg and the Gala, please click on the following links: VIDEOS – PHOTOS.

Previous winners of the Geoff Gowan Award:

2014: Robert Kierstead, Shooting

2013: Dennis Marineau, Bobsleigh & Hiroshi Nakamura, Judo

2012: Victor Zilberman, Wrestling & David Hart, Water Polo

2011: Allison McNeill, Basketball & Dr. Eric Broom, Field Hockey

2010: Dr. Dru Marshall, Field Hockey & Lyle Sanderson, Athletics

2009: Tim Frick, Wheelchair Basketball & Keith Russell, Gymnastics

2008: Douglas Leigh, Figure Skating

2007: Andy Higgins, Athletics

2006: Clare Drake, Ice Hockey

2005: Charles Cardinal, Volleyball

2004: Donald Dion, Diving

2003: Marilyn Savage, Artistic Gymnastics

2002: Al Morrow, Rowing

2000: Doug Clement, Athletics

1999: Jack Donohue, Basketball

1996: Geoff Gowan, Athletics