Norris BOWDEN

In 1955, a year before he and partner Frances Dafoe won a silver medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics, such was the fame of Norris Bowden in figure skating that he was inducted with his partner into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Prior to his induction he and Dafoe had spent four years (1952-1955) as Canadian pairs champions, three (1953-1955) as North American champions and two (1954-1955) as world champions in figure skating pairs. They were also runner up at the World Championships in 1953 and 1956 and 4th in 1952. The duo had competed at the 1952 Winter Olympics, finishing fifth, but at the 1956 Games they were defeated narrowly (and controversially) by only the Austrians. Among the moves that Dafoe and Bowden pioneered were the twist lift, the overhead lasso lift, the throw jump, and the )leap of faith). Unlike Dafoe, however, he also achieved success in the singles category and was the Canadian junior champion, and later earned the title of senior champion in 1947. Although he was suspended after his 1956 retirement and had his career delayed several years, he eventually began working as a judge, climbing his way up to judging figure skating competitions at the world level. In addition, he also worked in insurance and had been an agent throughout his career as a skater. He also held an MBA and was a founding president of what is now the Centennial Infant and Child Centre in Toronto, which works with mentally handicapped children. He died of heart disease, at the age of only 64, in 1991. In addition to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, he was also inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1958 and the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 1993.