Brian Heffel

As a student at the University of Alberta, Brian Heffel was a swimmer and rugby player before taking up wrestling on a whim. After graduating with a bachelor’s in physical education in 1965, he pursued amateur wrestling and, after rising to prominence at the provincial level, entered the trials for Canada’s delegation to the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Although he did not make the team, two years later he was in Mexico City, representing Canada at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in the welterweight division. In the first round of the freestyle category Heffel defeated Wesley O’Brien of Australia by a fall and was one of only two competitors to participate in the opening round and leave without any negative points. He faced the other, Yury Shakhmuradov of the Soviet Union, in the second round and was defeated, suffering 3.5 negative points. A fall against Tömöriin Artag of Mongolia, the eventual bronze medalist, eliminated him from the event. He was less successful in Greco-Roman, as he was disqualified in his bout against Romania’s Ion Ţăranu and then eliminated after a fall against Bulgaria’s Metodi Zarev.

Following the Olympics Heffel re-entered the University of Alberta to acquire a master’s degree and, in the process, won 68 and drew 2 of the 70 wrestling matches he entered. He continued wrestling through 1970, when injuries forced him to retire from active competition. Nonetheless, he remained involved in sports as an administrator, high school PE teacher, wrestling referee, and successful rugby coach that brought his high school team, as well as the junior division of his former club, the Edmonton Druids, to championship success. In 1999 he was added to the University of Alberta’s Sports Wall of Fame.