Hall of Famer
Frank Stack
Inducted in 1974
Member Details
Career Highlights
Western Canadian Senior Champion
U.S. Outdoor Title
North American Indoor Champion
Lake Placid Olympic Games - Bronze medal, 10,000m
Coach/Manager, Canadian Olympic Speed Skating Team
![Hall of Famer Frank Stack](/media/member_files/upload/X981.739.1.4,5_u.jpg)
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Story
Speedskater Frank Stack was a regular victor at Canadian, American, and North American championships throughout his incredible competitive career, which spanned from 1919 to 1954. Stack first entered the competitive rink at the age of 13. He was the Western Canadian junior champion from 1919 to 1923 and the senior champion from 1924 to 1929. In 1931, Stack burst onto the international speedskating scene, taking the senior men's title at the North American indoor championships and setting a five-mile record of 15:42.2 in the process. Later that year, he added the U.S. Outdoor title to his portfolio. Over the course of his career, Stack competed for the Canadian championship seven times, winning on six occasions. He reclaimed the North American indoor title again in 1932 and 1938 and finished second in the intervening years. He was several times the victor of the Silver Skate competition and was also the first Canadian to win the 10,000 Lakes Championship in Minnesota. Stack represented Canada at six Olympic Games, both as a competitor and an official. In 1932, he claimed a bronze medal in the 10,000m race and came fourth in the 500m and 1,500m events. Lack of funds and the outbreak of the Second World War caused him to miss the next few Games, but he returned to the Olympic rink in 1948 to place sixth in the 500m race. In 1952, at the age of 46, he took on double duties of skater and coach, placing eleventh in the 500m event. In 1960, he returned as manager-coach of the Canadian team. Stack retired from competition in 1954, but reemerged 12 years later to compete in the Canadian indoor championships once more. At the remarkable age of 60, this incredible athlete claimed three second- and two third-place finishes. For his consistent success on the ice, Stack received honoured places in both the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Speed Skating Hall of Fame.