Darwin Semotiuk

Darwin Semotiuk
Biographical details
Born(1945-02-06)February 6, 1945
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
DiedJanuary 4, 2022(2022-01-04) (aged 76)
London, Ontario, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Alberta
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1975–1984Western
Head coaching record
Overall71–23–1 (.753)

Darwin Michael Semotiuk (February 6, 1945 – January 4, 2022) was a Canadian football coach and professor of kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario.[1] He coached the Western Ontario Mustangs football team from 1975 to 1984[2] and also served as the university's athletic director for 20 years. He won two Vanier Cup championships, in 1976 and 1977. He was the CIAU Coach of the Year in 1976.[3][4]

Semotiuk attended the University of Alberta where he played on and captained the basketball and football teams in the 1960s. He was later drafted by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL and played on the Canadian national men's basketball team. He earned a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.[5][6] In 1993, Semotiuk was elected as a Corresponding Fellow in the prestigious National Academy of Kinesiology, USA (formerly the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, and before that the American Academy of Physical Education).[7] He was added to the University of Alberta's Sports Wall of Fame in 2002. Semotiuk died on January 4, 2022, at the age of 76, from organ failure related to sepsis.[8][9]

  1. ^ Darwin Semotiuk obituary
  2. ^ ROUNDUP Football The Globe and Mail [Toronto, Ont] 8 February 1984: S.2.
  3. ^ Metro News [dead link]
  4. ^ "Football Semotiuk's ticket into London | Football | Sports | London Free Press". Archived from the original on 10 January 2010.
  5. ^ "50TH VANIER CUP INTERVIEW SERIES: Darwin Semotiuk, Western (1976) - CIS English". Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  6. ^ "University of Alberta: People".
  7. ^ Cardinal, Bradley (2022). "The National Academy of Kinesiology: Its founding, focus, and future". Kinesiology Review. 11 (1): 6–25.
  8. ^ "Western News - Western remembers sports legend Darwin Semotiuk". 5 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Famed Western Mustangs football coach Darwin Semotiuk passes away". www.iheartradio.ca. Bell Media. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.