Rob Town

Orillia native Rob Town excelled in multiple sports at Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where he won a record five Ontario Federation of School Athletics Association gold medals in track and field. One of his discus records still stands – almost four decades later. He went on to dominate track and field disciplines at the University of Waterloo where he won an unprecedented 11 gold medals; he was inducted into the University of Waterloo Hall of Fame in 2006. Town finished sixth in the decathlon at the Commonwealth Games in 1978; he was the top Canadian, prompting Orillia to declare Sept. 7, 1978 Rob Town Day. In 1979, he was named the Canadian indoor pentathlon champ and, in 1981, was named Canada’s decathlon champion.