The University of British Columbia Athletics

VANCOUVER – UBC Thunderbirds coaching legend and former Olympian Dr. Peter Mullins has passed away at the age of 86.
 
Mullins is still the longest serving men's basketball coach in the history of the sport at UBC and is considered to be the school's most successful.  He won 337 games, against both Canadian and American competition, in two decades as head basketball coach of the Thunderbirds.
 
His teams won the Western Canadian university championship seven times (1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1975) and the Canadian university championship twice (1970 and 1972).
 
Mullins' basketball teams competed against teams from the Evergreen (US) Conference, Western Canadian University Conference and Vancouver Senior 'A' league.
 
His 1969-1970 team won the Canadian university championship by 21 points in the title game, finishing off the season with a record of 28-4 overall (24-0 against Canadian competition).  This squad was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.  Mullins was inducted as a builder two years later.
 
Spanning the 1969-70 and 70-71 seasons, the 'Birds won an astounding 36 consecutive games against Canadian university competition.
 
At age 56, Mullins retired from coaching in 1982, but continued to be a teacher and counselor.
 
He came to UBC in 1955, when he was just 29 years old - hired as a member of the staff of the School of Physical Education as well coach of the school's track and field freshman basketball teams.
 
His first freshman basketball team won the BC Junior Men's championship.
 
Mullins continued to play in the local senior league and was chosen to represent Canada at the World Basketball Tournament in Chile in 1959 as a player.
 
Three years later, Mullins became the head coach of the Thunderbirds varsity team.
 
He also continued his role as head coach of the track and field and cross-country teams at UBC until 1964, teams that included two UBC Olympians, Doug Kyle and Doug Clement.
 
Mullins' UBC head-coaching career of 27 years is the second longest in the school's history.

In 1970, he was selected to coach Canada's basketball team at the World Student Games. In 1969, he had been named as coach of Canada's National Team by the CABA, and piloted a new four-year program of selection and training of Canadian players in preparation for the 1971 Pan American Games and the 1972 Olympics.
 
Mullins has received numerous honours for his contribution to basketball in Canada.
 
Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) annually presents the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy to the Rookie of the Year in men's basketball and Mullins was inducted into the BC Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
 
Mullins was born in Australia and received his Diploma of Physical Education at Sydney Teachers College.
 
A superb athlete, Mullins won sixth place in the decathlon at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
 
He also played on three championship basketball teams in his home country.
 
Mullins came to North America after receiving a track and field scholarship to Washington State College (now Washington State University), in Pullman.
 
He also lettered in basketball at the school, captaining the Cougars' Pacific Coast Conference team while earning his Masters and Doctorate in Physical Education.
 
Mullins died on April 13, 2012 in Sydney, Australia.  He had suffered a broken hip and a chest infection in the last month and a half.  Mullins is survived by his brother Tom, and sister, Pat.
 
In lieu of flowers, they're asking donations be made to the Peter Mullins Memorial Thunderbird Men's Basketball Endowment.
 
They're also expressing thanks and appreciation to all of Mullins' great friends in Vancouver.
 
There will be a private family funeral and Mullins will be buried in the family plot.
 
A celebration of life is being planned and will be announced at a later date.
 
- with files from Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian

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