Born in 1870 in St. Stephen, John Crocker first had aspirations to   become a doctor. But he abandoned that pursuit to accept a position with   Toronto’s central YMCA in 1899. Medicine’s loss proved to be Canadian, and   international sport’s gain. He worked his way up to become national director   of the YMCA. In 1908, he was named manager of the first Canadian Olympic   team. He served as secretary of the Canadian Olympic committee from 1922   through 1947 and is considered one of the founding fathers of the Canadian   Olympic movement. In 1911, he accepted a position with the YMCA in Shanghai,   China and later became that country’s National Physical director. While   serving in China, he managed the team which competed in the 1915 Far Eastern   Athletic Games. Crocker joined Western University of London, Ont. as director   of physical education in 1930, and was instrumental in developing the   curriculum of the program. He retired in 1949 with the completion of the   construction of Thames Hall, which is still in use. The International Centre   for Olympic studies dedicates an annual lecture in his name.

Inducted into the New Brunswick Sports hall of Fame June 10, 2023.