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 December 1, 2006 - John McManus,
the long-time head coach of the Varsity Blues
men’s basketball team, died after a courageous
battle with cancer at North York General Hospital
on Wednesday, November 29th, 2006.
Born in
1918 in Milestone, Sask., and raised in Winnipeg,
John served with the R.C.A.F. during World War
Two, spending 1939 to 1942 at various Fighter
Command bases in England. During the spring of
1942, he joined 413 Squadron in Ceylon for a tour
and then returned to Bomber Command bases in
England for the duration of the war. After the
war, he enrolled in U of T’s School of Physical
and Health Education. A multi-talented
student-athlete, John excelled in baseball as a
pitcher, and as a high jumper. But his true skill
was as a basketballer, leading the Blues in
scoring in 1949-50 and in the process earning a
unanimous selection to the league all-star team.
John graduated with a BPHE in 1950. In addition to
playing at the intercollegiate level, John was a
member of the 1946 Toronto Huskies practice squad
of the Basketball Association of America (which
merged with the National Basketball League to become
the National Basketball Association). During the
summers, he was a pitcher on various professional
baseball teams.
“John’s long-term
dedication to U of T athletics is truly
inspirational,” said current Blues basketball head
coach Mike Katz, who played under McManus from
1968 to 1971. “He was a kind, congenial man with a
wickedly quick wit. He will be missed.”
John’s coaching career began with a
two-season stint (1950-51 to 1951-52) at Acadia,
where his teams earned intercollegiate, Halifax
and District, and Maritime Senior championships.
Toronto soon beckoned, and in 1952 John returned
to his alma mater as an assistant basketball and
football coach. His early responsibilities
included running the intermediate teams, and he
quickly demonstrated his coaching abilities with
intermediate championships in both football and
basketball in 1953-54. He was promoted to head
basketball coach of the senior team in 1955-56. In
1957-58, John led the Blues to a 9-1 record for
their first Wilson Cup championship since 1939-40.
John’s teams were always competitive: in
28 seasons as the Blues’ head coach, he posted
only seven sub-.500 seasons, and never more than
three in a row. On 20 February 1965, the Blues set
an OUA one-team, single-game points record that
still stands by defeating the McGill Redmen
134-80. John gave up his duties as a football
assistant after the 1975 season, having serving a
team-record 24 seasons on the senior team, and
retired as the basketball coach after the 1982-83
campaign. He amassed a regular season record of
174 wins and 152 losses.
“John gave U of T
nearly 40 outstanding years as a student, coach
and teacher,” said Liz Hoffman, the University of
Toronto’s current Director of Athletics. “He was
truly a great friend and mentor to many Varsity
athletes, and I know he will be fondly
remembered.”
During his time as a coach,
John taught in the University’s School of Physical
and Health Education (SPHE). He also remained
active with the R.C.A.F., serving as an
administrative officer with the University Reserve
Officers Training Course. His daughter, Kathy,
graduated from SPHE in 1980 and was a member of
four Varsity championship swim teams.
In
accordance with John’s wishes, there will be no
visitation, service or funeral. Cremation has
taken place. In lieu of flowers, donations are
gratefully accepted in John’s memory to the
‘University of Toronto, T-Holders’ Association’,
and can be sent c/o Varsity Blues Alumni Office,
55 Harbord St. Toronto, ON M5S 2W6. John’s last
message to family and friends: “Get in shape and
keep fit!”
The Varsity Blues wish to
extend their condolences to Kathy and the entire
McManus family.
To help commemorate
John’s life, the Varsity Blues invite John’s
former athletes, students and friends to send in
their stories and reminiscences of him—as a coach,
teacher or mentor. A selection of these anecdotes
will be posted on www.varsityblues.ca. Please send
such items to mailto:sport.info@utoronto.ca
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John McManus was a huge influence on my
life because he was able to differentiate what was
truly important. Our teams consisted of today's
lawyers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and
other future professionals. We practised and
played hard and were always competitive but win or
lose there was a sense that basketball was really
only part of things that were more important in
life like physical activity, education, fair play,
and fun--and did we have fun. When I see the
alumni of our teams, we can talk for hours about
the things around our basketball experience: none
of us can remember much about the individual
games. We traveled, we lived together, all under
the tutelage of John McManus. He treated us as a
team (no preferential treatment), he treated us
like men, he loved to have fun and laugh with us
and he had great witty lines that cracked us up at
the most opportune times. I believe his military
background, his career as a teacher and his
experience as an athlete combined to make him the
respected coach he was.
We ate together
every night after practice in Varsity Arena at a
training table with the track team and the hockey
team. I learned about discipline as I watched Bill
Crothers and Bruce Kidd gulp down their dinner and
run to study at the library, and I learned about
saving money as I saw John take home a vat of
detergent or other kitchen supplies courtesy of
the training staff.
Kennedy, Stevens,
White, Ringham, and now McManus were characters
with character. We will all miss you - it seems
that you got through this life "faster than a
pregnant fox in a forest fire" but you have left
an indelible mark on all of us.
DAVID WEST
Varsity Blues basketball player, 1960-61 to
1964-65
Former Canadian National Team member | |
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