Hall of Fame
Allan Reddon (BA '87) was part of the dynastic York men's gymnastics team in the 1980s. A member of the squad from 1982-85, he played a central role in helping York claim the OUAA and CIAU team championships in all three of his seasons. During that time, he won a total of 15 individual gold medals at the OUAA and CIAU championships. His best season came in 1983-84 when he was named York's male athlete of the year after winning five provincial gold medals and five national gold medals. He was also selected as the recipient of the prestigious Charles Saundercook Memorial Trophy that same season and later that year, represented Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A member of the Canadian national team for eight years, Reddon also competed at three world championships, two FISU Games and one Commonwealth Games.
Induction video: Allan Reddon (Introduction by Steve MacLean)
Allan Reddon’s Olympic dream first took hold of him as a 14-year-old and came to fruition eight years later thanks partially to his years with the York men’s gymnastics team.
“I was painting the fence in our yard one day in 1976 when my mother came out and told me that I should come inside and watch the Olympics,” recalled Reddon of the moment. “Canada had a couple of gymnasts there in Montreal and at that point I said to myself, ‘I can do that.’”
He was already very involved in gymnastics after first taking it up at the age of eight, when his parents enrolled him in a class after seeing him climb fences and shimmy up door wells in the house. He took to it immediately and quickly increased his training time as he advanced through the levels of the sport.
As a member of the Canadian junior national team, Reddon was being recruited by a number of universities in California to compete for them in the NCAA. But he wanted to make the Olympics and academics a priority, and from there decided that York was the place for him.
“Central to my decision to come to York was the fact that the program was led by Tom [Zivic] and [Masaaki] Naosaki, who were the national team coaches,” said Reddon. “It was all about the coaching for me because, at the age of 17, I had to make a decision as to who it was I’d be spending a lot of my time with. It definitely turned out to be the right decision.”
It was right for him and also worked out well for the men’s gymnastics team, which was the preeminent program in the country in the 1970s and 1980s and continued its winning ways thanks to Reddon’s consistently strong performances. In his three years with the team, from 1982-85, Reddon, who was a pommel horse and high bar specialist, won a total of 15 individual gold medals at the OUAA and CIAU championships and played a central role in helping York claim the OUAA and CIAU team titles in each of his three years. His best season came in 1983-84, when he was named York’s male athlete of the year after winning five provincial gold medals and five national gold medals. He was also selected as the recipient of the prestigious Charles Saundercook Memorial Trophy.
Training under the direction of the national team coaches also paid off for Reddon when it came time for Olympic team selections, and he realized his own Olympic dream in 1984 when he was chosen for the Canadian squad to compete in Los Angeles.
“It was an incredible feeling for me and my family when I qualified for the Olympics. Some of my York teammates were on the Olympic team as well. We all shared the same passion and it was a healthy, competitive atmosphere. It was great to be able to experience that with them.”
The Summer Games was the biggest in a long list of international events in his eight-year career on the national team, as he also represented Canada at three world championships, two World University Games and one Commonwealth Games.
Being a high-level gymnast afforded Reddon many opportunities and experiences he still holds near and dear to his heart, including a training camp in China that enabled him to train with some of the best Chinese gymnasts in the world while living in a small Chinese village for two weeks.
When his career was over he transitioned to coaching and was the head of the Ontario boys’ provincial program for 10 years while also teaching within the School of Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto.
Reddon has since moved on from the sport – he is now a merchant in the ski and snowboard business in Orangeville – but his legacy as one of the top gymnasts at York will live on forever with his induction into the Sport Hall of Fame.
