Tim Frick, is a member of the Order of Canada who graduated from UBC in 1975 with a BPE (Kinesiology) degree. From his position as Physical Education instructor at Douglas College, Frick coached the college’s Wheelchair basketball teams to numerous national club team titles. He also coached the VCC Langara men’s volleyball team to the national title in 1980 as Frick had volleyball experience as a member of the very good UBC Varsity teams of the mid 1970s. More recently Frick coached both the BC Breakers women’s Wheelchair basketball and Canada’s national women’s Wheelchair basketball teams. The latter he coached from 1990 through 2009 including guiding it to four consecutive World Championships and three Paralympic gold medals.
Tim has also had the distinction of coaching both Rick Hansen and Terry Fox in volleyball and track during their younger years and was involved with Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion Tour as he and Rick, just a few years apart in age, were both UBC Kinesiology students. Frick continues to mentor as he is involved in implementing clinics and training sessions for younger coaches.
Frick’s coaching career has resulted in an outpouring of acknowledgements. A sample includes seven Canadian Coaching Association Excellence Awards, 1998 Sport BC Coach of the Year, 3M Male Coach of 2001, BC Wheelchair Sports Coach of the Millennium, Geoff Gowan Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Wheelchair Basketball Canada Hall of Fame and the Order of British Columbia. In 2010 the Tim Frick Paralympic Coach Excellence Award was created. He was the first Paralympic coach to be inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame.
Tim Frick was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2020.
