Trevor Ian Coker (1 October 1949 – 23 August 1981) was a New Zealand

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

who won two Olympic medals. He was born in

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

, New Zealand. Coker won the European Championship in 1971. Known then as the "New Zealand Eight", Coker and his team received

Halberg Awards The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award ...

in 1971 and 1972 as New Zealand Sportsman of the Year (the rules were altered in 1971 to allow a team to receive this recognition). Coker was born in

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

in 1949. He initially rowed for the Wanganui Rowing Club. At the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, he teamed with Dick Joyce, Wybo Veldman, John Hunter, Lindsay Wilson,

Joe Earl Athol John "Joe" Earl (born 1 October 1952) is a former New Zealand rower who won two Olympic medals. Earl was born in 1952 in Christchurch and grew up on a farm in Hawarden in North Canterbury. He received his education at St. Andrew's Colle ...

Tony Hurt Anthony John Hurt (born 30 March 1946) is a former New Zealand rower who won two Olympic medals. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, he teamed with Dick Joyce, Wybo Veldman, John Hunter, Lindsay Wilson, Joe Earl, Trevor Coker and Gary R ...

and Gary Robertson and

Simon Dickie Simon Charles Dickie (31 March 1951 – 13 December 2017) was a New Zealand rowing cox who won three Olympic medals. Dickie was born in 1951 in Waverley in Taranaki, New Zealand. He was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School where he was part ...

(cox) to win the gold medal in the eights. At the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, he again crewed the eight, which this time won the Bronze medal. His crew mates this time were

Alec McLean Alexander Robert McLean (born 18 October 1950) is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic bronze medal. Early life and family Born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 18 October 1950, McLean was educated at Onslow College. In 1975, he marrie ...

, Ivan Sutherland, Hurt,

Peter Dignan Peter Fraser Dignan (6 March 1955 – 20 June 2013) was a New Zealand rower. Biography Dignan was born in Gibraltar in 1955, to a former Berlin airlift pilot. His father later entered the diplomatic corps and, as a result, Dignan spent a ...

, Wilson, Earl and

Dave Rodger David Marsden Rodger (born 18 June 1955) is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic bronze medal. Rodger was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. Rodger was first selected to represent New Zealand in New Zealand Rowing's first Junior eight cre ...

. Coker won the New Zealand national championships in the fours in 1974, 1975 and 1976, and with the eights in 1976. He won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 1974, and rowed with the coxed eight in the

1975 World Rowing Championships The 1975 World Rowing Championships was the fifth World Rowing Championships. It was held from 21 to 30 August at Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, England. Medal summary Medalists at the 1975 World Rowing Champio ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

, Great Britain, winning a bronze medal. Coker died of a brain tumor in 1981. His teammates stayed close to his wife and son, assisting with financial support. Trevor and the 1972 Gold medal team were inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1997, the 1972 team travelled back to the course at Munich to mark the 25th anniversary. Coker was the only member not present. New Zealand secondary school rowing teams compete today for the Coker Memorial Shield.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coker, Trevor 1949 births 1981 deaths New Zealand male rowers Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in rowing Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for New Zealand Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics European Rowing Championships medalists