Long before Usain Bolt, the fastest man on Earth was a Winnipegger named Jack Parrington.
It was at a track meet in Toronto in 1956 where he crossed the finish line in the 100-metre sprint at 10.2 seconds to tie the world record.
The incredible feat is a little-known fact, even in the local athletics community, but Winnipeg Optimist Club president Larry Switzer would make sure people knew there was a legend in the room when Parrington was invited to present awards at the Boeing Classic Track & Field Championships in recent years.
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Jack Parrington ran track at the University of Houston. It’s where he met lifelong friend Don Loadman, a fellow Canadian runner who hailed from Saskatchewan.
“There was probably 500 people in the audience watching the competition with all the young kids. And I’d say ‘Has anybody ever met somebody who’s held the world record in the 100 metres? Well, someone who held that record is standing right beside me.’ And people would go ‘Wow!’ It was pretty neat to say,” Switzer said.
“And it’s amazing he was that fast at that time in heavy spikes running on a dirt cinder track.”
To put his mark in perspective, Andre De Grasse won the 100 metre at the Canadian Track & Field Trials last week with a 10.2 time.
Parrington — who was born in Winnipeg, grew up in Toronto, but put down roots in Manitoba’s capital as an adult — would run for Canada later that year at the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where he competed in the 100 metre, 200 metre, and 4 x 100 metre relay. A nagging hamstring injury kept him off the podium, but it was still an experience he cherished. But as impressive as his career was, he wasn’t one to boast.
“I didn’t even know he had broken the sprint record. I found out from my cousin when I was a teenager,” said Lorraine, Jack and wife Maureen’s daughter. She has two siblings, Rob and Doug.
“My dad wasn’t a guy who spoke of those sorts of things,” she said. “He’d talk about himself if you kind of cornered him into it. But he didn’t have a trophy case and all his stuff hung up. We never grew up in the shadow of my dad’s achievements. He was way more interested in talking about other people’s achievements.”
In addition to being an Olympian, Parrington ran at the University of Houston on a full athletic scholarship. He wasn’t the only Canadian running for the Cougars; a farm boy from Saskatchewan named Don Loadman was also on the team and they quickly became close friends.
They roomed together and would often frequent a restaurant near the campus called Bill Williams Chicken House for a $2 meal after a late night of studying.
Coincidentally, they both moved to Manitoba for teaching jobs — Parrington to Alonsa and Loadman to Winnipeg.
“One day he called me and said, ‘Don, I’m standing here teaching this class and a cow walked across the schoolyard.’ Of course, I came from a ranch, so I was trying not to laugh at him. But he was coming from Toronto and had probably never seen a live cow,” laughed Loadman, who turns 88 this week and now lives in Calgary.
Soon after, Parrington would relocate to Winnipeg to work as a substitute teacher, and Maureen, whom he met on a blind date in Toronto in 1960, would join him. They married in Orillia, Ont., in 1962 before starting their family in Winnipeg.
Even though he moved far away from his alma mater, Parrington always appreciated the university that gave him an opportunity. In 2008, Lorraine and her partner, Brad, took her parents on a trip back to Houston.
”You don’t get that many chances to see wonderment in your parent’s eyes… it was an amazing trip.”–Lorraine, Jack Parrington’s daughter
Shortly after Parrington died on March 5, 2024, at the age of 90, the Cougars held a moment of silence for him at a track event.
“My dad was showing us all this stuff and he was really like a kid in a candy store. I can remember being in the athletic director’s office, which was super impressive, and they treated him like royalty and were so respectful,” Lorraine said.
“You don’t get that many chances to see wonderment in your parent’s eyes. They took him around and toured him places, they were excited to see him, and they showed him where his picture was on their wall of honour. It was an amazing trip.”
He worked in the Assiniboine South School Division as a teacher, phys-ed supervisor and vice-principal. When he first started, he taught at four different schools; none had gymnasiums. He would load up his car with gym mats and balls and teach his lessons in hallways or in whatever available space he could find.
Parrington knew the importance of sports and physical activity, so as he moved up in the division, he was a huge advocate for them allotting more money to phys-ed so gyms could be built.
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Jack and Maureen were married for 61 years and loved to travel, dance, and golf together.
His passion for athletics and education was passed down to his family as Rob, wife Angele, and their kids Nolan and Kyleigh all became teachers.
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was in Grade 8. I knew that’s what I was going to do with my life,” Nolan said, adding that his grandfather was a huge influence on his career.
“He was super invested in how Kyleigh and I were doing in school and what kind of stuff we were doing in the gym, as we’re both phys-ed teachers like he was. He was just excited that we’re doing what he loved.”
Even after his racing days, Parrington stayed involved with track. In 1979, the Winnipeg Optimist Track Club — originally called the Assiniboia Optimist Track Club — was founded in his basement with the help of Switzer, Wayne McMahon and Greg Hershman. Today, the club has more than 200 people involved. Over the years, Optimist has helped nearly 40 athletes represent Canada at international competitions.
Parrington was especially proud when one of his kids or grandkids got into the sport. He trained Nolan and made sure to never miss one of his meets. And whether he was coaching a relative (such as his daughter-in-law Shane) or someone else, he’d push them to the limit.
Parrington was always supporting his grandkids — Danielle and Carter are the other two — no matter what activity they were involved in.
“Some of my best memories were on that track with him,” said Nolan. “One of his favourite stories was one of my friends came out and trained with us and my buddy was puking within the first 40 minutes of us practising.”
An accomplishment Parrington wasn’t shy about was building a family with the love of his life. He and Maureen were married for 61 years, and also have two great-grandchildren they adore: Penelope and Winston.
“Family was everything to dad and this value percolated throughout his whole life,” Lorraine said. “It started with his folks, and he made sure he passed it onto us. Without a doubt my mom and the rest of the family were his pride and joy. Hands down we were his favourite team and most cherished achievement.”
taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca
X: @TaylorAllen31
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From left: Rob, Lorraine, Maureen, Doug, and Jack pose for a family photo.
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Jack Parrington and his family of teachers would spend the summer at the cabin.
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Jack Parrington (second from right) ran for Canada at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
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From left: Larry Switzer, Jack Parrington, Greg Hershman and Wayne McMahon founded the Assiniboina Optimist Track Club in 1979.
Taylor Allen
Reporter
Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.
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