Philip Kueber entered the University of British Columbia in 1952 and soon joined the school’s rowing team. With very little experience under their belt, the squad earned the nickname “Cinderella Crew” after unexpectedly winning the coxed eights event at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, where Kueber was the spare. It was Canada’s first gold medal in rowing at the quadrennial tournament, aside from the uncontested double sculls event at the 1930 edition. The following year Kueber was a regular member of the team and earned accolades by helping to defeat the Soviets at the Henley Royal Regatta, a prestigious race held annually on the River Thames in England. His final international event with the team was his biggest - the 1956 Summer Olympics – where the Canadians took home the silver medal in the coxed eights. He graduated from UBC in 1958 with degrees in commerce and law and returned to his native Alberta, settling in Calgary, where he practiced corporate and securities law for 35 years at Howard Mackie. He continued to be involved in rowing, however, as founder and first president of the Calgary Rowing Club, an executive with the Alberta Rowing Association, and a director of the Alberta Sports Council. He was also involved with the Alberta Gymnastics Federation, golf, and thoroughbred horse racing. He even took a stab at politics, finishing fourth in the race for MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) of the Calgary-McKnight electoral district in 1971. He and his crew are members of the UBC Sports Hall of Fame, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Amateur Sports Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.
Canada