NAME: Gordon Garvie
UNIVERSITY: Saskatchewan
CATEGORY: Student-Athlete
SPORT: Men’s wrestling
YEARS ACTIVE: 1964-70
HIGHLIGHTS:
Four-time Saskatchewan Male Athlete of the Year
WIFL MVP in 1967
Three-time Canadian university wrestling champion (1967, 1969, 1970)
Wrestled at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City
BIOGRAPHY:
The definition of multi-talented, Gordon Garvie was a standout student-athlete during the 1960s at the University of Saskatchewan, where his awesome ability on the gridiron was eclipsed only by his mastery on the mat.
As a member of Saskatchewan’s wrestling team, Garvie won multiple conference titles, and was a three-time national university champion (1967, 1969, 1970).
Meanwhile, he was a three-time Western Intercollegiate Football League all-star (1966, 1967, 1969) with the Huskies, winning MVP honours in 1967 when he was the conference’s leading scorer.
The U of S honoured Garvie’s athletic prowess by awarding the multi-sport competitor the E. Kent Phillips Trophy as its male athlete of the year four consecutive years (1967-70)..
Upon graduation, Garvie began coaching at Lakehead University. He returned to his alma mater in 1980, becoming head coach of the U of S wrestling program while also serving as assistant on the Huskies football staff. He was named the university’s coach of the year in 1986.
Internationally, the five-foot-eight Garvie competed as a lightweight in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, advancing to the third and second round, respectively. In 1969 he became Canadian champion and went on to wrestle at the World Championships. He was head coach of the Canadian wrestling team from 1973 to 1976, culminating with the Montreal Olympic Games.
A native of Saskatoon, Garvie is enshrined in the University of Saskatchewan Hall of Fame, Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame, and Canadian Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame.