Theo Alfred Dubois (May 19, 1911 – June 10, 2011)He had an Olympian talent, but never got to go to the Games Toronto Globe and Mail (retrieved June 27, 2011)
was a champion rower from
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
,
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
.
In 1939, he won the United States and Canadian doubles amateur rowing championships, teaming with Albert Riley. This qualified them for the 1940 Olympics, which were however cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.
In 1940 in singles competition, he finished second to American
Joe Burk
Joseph William Burk (January 19, 1914 – January 13, 2008) was an American oarsman and coach.
Raised in Delanco Township, New Jersey, he graduated from Moorestown High School in 1930.
At the University of Pennsylvania, Burk rowed in ...
in both the U.S. and Canadian championships. Dubois was looking forward to a rematch in 1941, but Burk turned professional. Dubois won the U.S. and Canadian amateur titles in 1941 and was awarded the
Lou Marsh Trophy
The Northern Star Award, formerly known as the Lou Marsh Trophy, the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award, is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. It is awarded by a panel of journalists, wi ...
as Canada's top athlete of the year. He was the first athlete from
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada†...
to win the award.
In 1948 he won the Canadian Association of Amateur Oarsman (CAAO) qualifying singles race for the Olympics. However the Canadian Olympian selection committee decided that he was too old to represent his country. In 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 ...
, the eventual gold medal winning time was slower than Dubois' time in the qualifying race.
Dubois was a long-time member and coach at the
Winnipeg Rowing Club
Winnipeg Rowing Club (WRC) is a rowing club on the Red River in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba.
WRC provides adult and youth competitive rowing programs, and regularly sends crews to events like the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, Western Canada ...
, where he was made honorary president in 1978. He was inducted into the
Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
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 1981.
Outside of sports, Dubois graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture from the