BOB REEVES

All his working life was concerned with sport-related education, working at Bristol University for almost 40 years, mostly as Director of Sport, Exercise and Health. Prior to that, he taught PE at Lancaster Royal Grammar School.

Having been awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 1987, studying changing trends in exercise and health, Bob developed the first Masters programme in the United Kingdom in Exercise and Health Sciences.

He established one of the first university sports performance programmes for students, enabling them to fulfil both academic and sporting potential. Five products of this programme participated in the London Olympics, three winning medals. Five other participants in the programme at different times went on to play rugby for England.

He was coach of Bristol University Rugby Club for over 25 years, also coaching England Students and the Bristol club. He became an honorary staff coach of both the Rugby Football Union and the National Cricket Association, the only person ever to hold both these awards, and he was involved in the establishment of the National Coaching Foundation.

He enjoyed helping to develop coaching in many sports, running the pre-season coaching for Oxford University Cricket Club for 6 years, and for 15 years helping the Hurlingham Polo Association in improving their coaching activities.

Bob was the Minister of Sport nominee on the Regional Sports Council for the maximum term permitted and was Chairman of the International Committee of the Physical Education Association.

His involvement with sport in Kenya lasted for over 25 years and he set up the ‘Bristol Kenya Partnership’ charity, which led to the Kenyan Olympic and Paralympic teams being based in Bristol prior to the 2012 Olympics, and to many Bristol and Kenyan schools being twinned. For this, Bob received the award for the best contribution to Olympic legacy in the South-West of England.

He was Chairman of the Students RFU for 10 years, following which he became the President, and he remains the President of Bristol University RFC.

In 1995, he was elected to represent the Students Rugby Football Union on the RFU Council, leading to his election as President of the RFU in 2013.

Bristol University and Roehampton University have awarded him with honorary doctorates for services to sport and higher education.