Penn, Gordie

Gordie Penn was part of UBC’s return to football credibility, greatness in fact, during the late 1970s. Under the coaching of Frank Smith the Thunderbirds evolved to the point where they reached the national championship Vanier Cup in 1978.
In 1975, Penn’s second season when the reclamation was beginning, he established a new UBC season rushing record while being selected a Canada West All-Star as UBC reached second place. In 1976 UBC emerged Hardy Cup champions with players such as Penn, Danny Smith and Kevin Konar leading the way. This was a good season for Penn as he was a Canada West All-Star, All-Canadian and was named Canada West Player of the Year winning the Frank Gnup Memorial Trophy.

1978 was a highlight year for Frank Smith’s ‘Birds. The CIS Coach of the Year led UBC to its first Shrum Bowl victory, the Hardy Cup and the Churchill Bowl to advance to the Vanier Cup, only to lose to Queens. Gordie Penn was selected MVP of the Churchill Bowl receiving the Maury Van Vliet trophy and after 38 years still holds one of UBC football’s oldest records, the record for career total offense – 5181 yards over five seasons.
Penn, whose father was in UBC Physical Education’s first graduating class in 1949, graduated from Phys. Ed. (Kinesiology) in 1978 and in 2017 was inducted into the BC Football Hall of Fame based upon his outstanding amateur football career.

Fred Hume
September 2017