Peter Mullins (9 July 1926 – 13 April 2012) was an Australian

decathlete The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄθ ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He competed in the

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...

at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

. As a basketball player, he played at the

1959 FIBA World Championship The 1959 FIBA World Championship was the 3rd FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Chile from 16 to 31 January 1959. Amaury Antônio Pasos was named the MVP. The hosting citie ...

on the Canadian team. Mullins also coached the

UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...

for twenty years, recording more than 330 wins.

Early life

Mullins was born in Bondi, Australia in 1926. Mullins played hockey, rugby,

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

, table tennis and was swimmer. At the age of fifteen, Mullins became a

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er, before moving onto the

. He gained his diploma in physical education from the

Sydney Teachers' College The Sydney Teachers' College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until the end of 1981, when it became the Sydney Institute of Education, a part of the new Sydney College of ...

Career

In 1946, he broke the Australian record for the decathlon, and was selected to represent Australia in the event at the

in London, England. He finished in sixth place at the Olympics, setting another Australian record in the process. At the 1949 Australian championships, Mullins won a gold and two bronze, before his focus moved to basketball. After moving to the United States, Mullins was offered a scholarship at

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...

. After graduating, he moved to Canada and became a member of staff at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in 1955. Mullins then went to represent the Canadian basketball team at the

. He continued playing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, before retiring in 1982. Mullins also coached the Canadian basketball team at the

1970 Summer Universiade The 1970 Summer Universiade, also known as the VI Summer Universiade, took place in Turin, Italy. After the city of Lisbon, Portugal failed to host the 1969 Summer Universiade, the games were assigned to Turin to be held next year. Sports at t ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, Italy. His team at the University of British Columbia also won the Western Canadian University Championships seven times from 1963 to 1975.

Death

Mullins returned to Australia, where he died in 2012, aged 85. He was inducted into the British Columbia Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy is award to the best rookie player in universities in Canada.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, Peter 1926 births 2012 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Australian decathletes Olympic athletes for Australia Australian emigrants to Canada Australian men's basketball players Canadian men's basketball players 1959 FIBA World Championship players Athletes from Sydney Basketball players from Sydney Sportsmen from New South Wales Australian Athletics Championships winners