Archibald “Archie” MacKinnon was the last living link to one of Canada’s greatest Olympic upsets: a coxless four of mostly inexperienced UBC rowers who were never supposed to become Olympic champions, yet stormed from behind in the 1956 Melbourne final to beat the United States and win Canada’s first rowing gold in the Games. Decades later, as his three teammates passed away one by one, MacKinnon remained the sole survivor of that historic crew until he too passed away on August 28 at 89, closing the chapter on the legendary “Cinderella Four.”

Rowing Canada Aviron announced his death on September 4: “It is with great sadness that Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) mourns the passing of Archibald “Archie” MacKinnon, an Olympic champion, two-time Olympic medalist, and enduring figure in Canadian rowing history…”

Born in Cranbrook, he arrived at the University of British Columbia in 1955 as an engineering student with very little rowing experience. Yet rowing was one of the main reasons he chose UBC. “I told my Dad I wanted to go to UBC because they had a good rowing team,” MacKinnon recalled in a 2022 UBC Athletics profile. “I would take the courses and go into engineering, but I went there specifically to row.”

At UBC, he trained under coach Frank Read. MacKinnon initially worked as a spare for the varsity eight rather than as one of the crew’s leading rowers. He eventually joined Donald Arnold, Walter D’Hondt and Lorne Loomer in a coxless four. The crew was not made up of established international stars. MacKinnon was still relatively new to the sport, while several of his teammates were also young and inexperienced. Their rapid rise was part of what made their eventual Olympic victory so unexpected.

The four trained hard under Read and began to develop into a serious crew. Their breakthrough came at the 1956 Canadian Olympic trials in St. Catharines, Ontario. They stunned the field with a remarkable performance over 2,000 metres, earning their place on the Canadian Olympic team. The crew consisted of Donald Arnold at stroke, Walter D’Hondt, Lorne Loomer, and Archie MacKinnon at bow. They were on their way to Melbourne.

The 1956 Olympic rowing regatta was held at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, Australia. Canada’s four entered the final with the chance to make history, but the race did not begin as they would have wanted. The Canadians made a poor start and fell behind their rivals. Instead of allowing the slow opening to decide their fate, they gradually fought their way back into the race. They passed Italy and France before catching the United States.

The crew continued to push through the second half of the race, eventually pulling clear of the Americans. Canada crossed the finish line in 7:08.8, 10 seconds ahead of the United States (silver), with France taking bronze. The victory gave Canada its first Olympic gold medal in rowing. It also turned four relatively unknown UBC rowers into Canadian sporting heroes. The press soon gave them a fitting nickname: the “Cinderella Four.” But the four did not disappear after their historic Melbourne victory.

Another Olympic medal before becoming the last Cinderella

Arnold, D’Hondt, Loomer and MacKinnon all went on to race together in the Canadian eight at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. They were joined by Wayne Pretty, Glen Mervyn, Robert Wilson, Bill McKerlich and coxswain Sohen Biln. Canada won its heat in 6:36.1, finishing well ahead of England, who recorded 7:05.8. In the final, Canada produced an even stronger performance, finishing in 5:55.1. Australia took silver in 5:56.1, meaning Canada won by one second. England finished third in 6:10.2.

MacKinnon then returned to the Olympics in 1960. This time, he competed in the Canadian men’s eight at the Rome Olympics, helping the crew win silver. 

That silver became Canada’s only medal at the 1960 Games. After his rowing career, MacKinnon continued his education and professional career. He earned an electrical engineering degree from UBC before completing an MBA at York University’s Schulich School of Business. He later held senior positions in the telecommunications and investment sectors. Yet his connection to rowing never disappeared.

As the years passed, MacKinnon became the final surviving member of the crew that had made history in Melbourne. Lorne Loomer died in 2017, while Walter D’Hondt and Donald Arnold both died in 2021. That left MacKinnon as the last living member of the four.

“Archie MacKinnon and his teammates did far more than win Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in rowing,” UBC men’s head coach Mike Pearce said. “They established UBC as a Canadian stronghold for developing Olympic rowers, leaving a legacy that continues to this day.” With his passing, the four men who once shocked the Olympic rowing world in Melbourne are now gone.