University of Victoria Athletics

CATEGORY: Coach

Al Morrow is the accomplished coach of the national women's rowing program and a key player in the High Performance Centre in London, Ontario where the women's teams train during the summer.

Al was a rower with Canada's 1976 Olympic team, joined the national team as an assistant coach in 1977, head coach of the University of Victoria rowing team from 1978 to 1986, and assistant coach from 1986-88. He coached UVic to two championships in competition with the universities of Brock, Queen’s, McGill and UBC.

After coaching at the University of Victoria, Al became coach of the University of Western Ontario women's program. He is a member of UWO’s Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. Al was also a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal of Canada in 1994. In 1999, the International Rowing Federation named him the FISA Coach of the Year.

Al has coached numerous crews to victory in the Olympics, including Marnie McBean and Kathleen Heddle's three gold medals in Barcelona. His protégés have won 25 World and Olympic medals since 1991.
In 2003 he coached the national women's team to a bronze medal at the World Championships in Milan, Italy. Morrow is also active as an organizer of high school, provincial and international regattas.

UVic Achievements
-  Head coach of the UVic rowing team from 1978 to 1986
-  Assistant coach of the UVic rowing team from 1986-88
-  Captured two Canadian University Rowing Championships as UVic's head coach 

International Achievements 
-  1976 Montreal Olympics alternative athlete
-  Competed at the 1970, 74, 75 World Championships 
-  Coach of the Canadian Women's National Rowing team from 1992-present 
-  1992 Barcelona Olympics - Gold women's coxless pair - Gold women's coxless four - Gold women's coxed eight  
-  1996 Atlanta Olympics - Gold women's double scull - Silver women's coxed eight - Bronze women's quad scull 
-  2000 Sydney Olympics - Bronze women's coxed eight 
-  2008 Beijing Olympics - Bronze women's lightweight double scull 

Hall of Fame 
-  Morrow has been inducted into six different hall of fames 
-  1993 Inducted into Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame 
-  2006 Inducted into Canada Sport Hall of Fame  
-  2011 Inducted into Hamilton's Sport Hall of Fame 
-  Inducted into London's Sport Hall of Fame 

Other Achievements 
-  Head coach of the University of Western Ontario's women's rowing team