Jack McCullough was an accomplished track cyclist in Canada, becoming a three-time national champion in the team pursuit (1969–70, 1973). In 1971 McCullough travelled to southern Spain with the aim to get a place on the Canadian Olympic team for the München Games. He eventually did earn a place on the team, but was selected to ride in the team time trial on the road, and not in the velodrome as he had originally hoped. Two years later McCullough became a certified cross-country ski instructor, also starting a ski and sports shop in Winnipeg. By 1976 he had retired from cycling, later moving to Vancouver to start a furniture company, which he ran for more than 40 years.