Albert (Ab) Adam "Spats" Gowanlock (December 14, 1900 – September 27, 1988) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

curler from

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. Gowanlock was a two-time

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

and two-time

Brier Briar, Briars, Brier, or Briers may refer to: * Briar, or brier, common name for a number of unrelated thorny plants that form thicket People * Brier (surname) * Briers, a surname * Briars (surname) Places * Briar, Missouri, U.S. * Bri ...

champion. Gowanlock began curling in his hometown of

Glenboro, Manitoba Glenboro is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Glenboro – South Cypress within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held village status prior to January 1, 2015. it is located about 80 km southeast of the City of Br ...

. Gowanlock and his rink of E. C. "Bung" Cartwell,

Bill McKnight William Hunter McKnight (July 12, 1940 – October 4, 2019) was a Canadian politician who served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1993. During the government of Brian Mulroney, he served in various cabinet roles such as Minister ...

and Tom McKnight became the first team from rural Manitoba to win the Brier in 1938. Gowanlock would later move to

Dauphin, Manitoba Dauphin () is a city in Manitoba, Canada, with a population of 8,457 as of the 2016 Canadian Census, with an additional 2,388 living in the surrounding Rural Municipality of Dauphin (RM), for a total of 10,845 in the RM and city combined. The ci ...

where he worked for the Manitoba Department of Highways. He would win a second Brier in 1953 with teammates Jim Williams, Art Pollon and Russ Jackman. Gowanlock was 52 when he won the Brier, and is to date the oldest Brier winning skip in history. Gowanlock won four

Manitoba Curling Association Bonspiel The Manitoba Curling Association Bonspiel is the annual Manitoba Curling Association bonspiel held at the end of every January in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. It is the largest curling bonspiel in the world with the tournament setting a record in ...

s in his career, and played in 57 consecutive tournaments. He was inducted to the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

in 1984. He died in 1988."Gowanlock dies at 87", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', Thursday, September 29, 1988, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, pg 67

References

External links

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum profileManitoba Historical SocietyManitoba Sports Hall of Fame, Honoured Members Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowanlock, Ab 1900 births 1988 deaths Curlers from Manitoba Brier champions Sportspeople from Dauphin, Manitoba Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductees