Al Renfrew
Al Renfrew, 1949
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| Sport(s) | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
December 21, 1924 Toronto, ONT, CAN |
| Died | November 10, 2014 (aged 89) Ann Arbor, MI, USA |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Playing career | |
| 1945–1949 | Michigan |
| 1949–1950 | Detroit Auto Club |
| Position(s) | Wing |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1951–1956 | Michigan Tech |
| 1956–1957 | North Dakota |
| 1957–1973 | Michigan |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 288–286–13 (.502) |
| Tournaments | 4–2 (.667) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
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1961 Big Ten Champion 1962 Big Ten Champion 1964 Big Ten Champion 1964 WCHA Regular Season Champion 1964 NCAA National Champion 1968 Big Ten Champion 1969 Big Ten Champion |
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| Awards | |
| 1986 University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor 1990 Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award 1992 John "Snooks" Kelley Founders Award |
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Allan McNab Renfrew (December 21, 1924 – November 10, 2014) was a hockey player (left wing) at the University of Michigan in the late 1940s and a college hockey coach with Michigan Technological University (1951–1956), the University of North Dakota (1956–1957), and the University of Michigan (1957–1973). Renfrew had a storied career as a player, coach and administrator at the University of Michigan, including NCAA championships as both a player and coach. He was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1986.
A native of Toronto, Renfrew came to the University of Michigan in 1945. He played four years with the Michigan hockey team, and was selected as the team captain as a senior. As a freshman in 1946, he drew attention when he scored two goals separated by only seven seconds in a game against Michigan Tech. He was the leader of the Wolverines 1948 team that won the NCAA hockey championship. He scored 25 goals in 1948, including four in a game against Minnesota: "Al Renfrew, Michigan's speedy left winger, scored four times to lead the assault." The Wolverines finished the 1948 season by bearing Dartmouth College, 8-4, in the first NCAA ice hockey championship held in March 1948 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Renfrew scored 91 goals and 172 points, as the Wolverines went 70-18-6 while Renfrew was playing. Renfrew finished his playing career as the second leading point scorer in the history of Michigan hockey. He graduated from the School of Education in 1950 and later married the sister of his coach, Vic Heyliger.
After graduating from Michigan, Renfrew became the hockey coach at Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan, from 1951–1956 and at North Dakota for one year. In May 1957, Renfrew's former coach and brother-in-law Vic Heyliger retired as Michigan's hockey coach, and Renfrew accepted the job as Heyliger's replacement. As the coach of the Wolverines hockey team from 1957–1973, Renfrew had a record of 223-206-11 and one national championship. The national championship as coach came in 1964 season, when Michigan had a record of 24-4-1. Renfrew's 1964 team, behind the leadership of captain Gordon Wilkie and by Mel Wakabayashi’s two goals, beat Denver 6-3 in their home arena to capture the programs seventh NCAA title. With the win Al Renfrew also became the first person to play on a NCAA championship college hockey team and later coach a national champion. Including his six years as coach at Michigan Tech and North Dakota, his overall record as a coach was 288-286-13. When Renfrew retired as coach in May 1973, 200 of his friends held a testimonial dinner and presented him and his wife with a two-week trip to Hawaii. After retiring as the hockey coach in 1973, Renfrew worked for many years as the manager of the U-M ticket office.
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