Pete Ohler
Born:(1940-12-29)December 29, 1940
Canada
Died:June 7, 2021(2021-06-07) (aged 80)
Career information
CFL statusNational
Position(s)QB
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
CollegeWashington
High schoolVancouver (BC)
Career history
As player
1963–1964BC Lions
1964Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1964, 1967–1969BC Lions
Career highlights and awards
Career stats
Passing Comp115
Passing Att198
Passing Yards1307
Passing TDs4

Peter Ohler (December 29, 1940 – June 7, 2021) was a Canadian football quarterback, coach, and art dealer working primarily with Canadian historic art.

He played five seasons with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Ohler attended Vancouver College[1] for high school, playing basketball and football. Upon graduating, he first enrolled at Wenatchee Community College before transferring to the University of Washington.[2][3] Ohler was also a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was a member of the BC Lions team that won the 52nd Grey Cup.[4][5][6][7]

Professional football career

BC Lions

Following a successful run with the Washington Huskies[8] while at the University of Washington, where he studied English with a focus on poetry, Ohler joined the BC Lions in 1963.[7]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Ohler was picked in an equalization draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1964 but retired.[5]

BC Lions

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers traded Ohler to the BC Lions for Wayne Dennis and Ray Osbourne on October 1, 1964.[9] The Lions advanced to the 52nd Grey Cup where they beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 34-24 on November 28, 1964. Ohler threw a touchdown pass in the game after recovering a botched field goal attempt.[6][7]

Ohler did not play in 1965 and 1966 but signed with the Lions on May 5, 1967.[10] He played with the Lions till 1969.[7]

In his later life, Ohler had memory loss and migraines as a result of concussions suffered in his football career.[11]

Coaching

In the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, Peter Ohler gave his time as a coach of the Vancouver College Fighting Irish, and later the UBC Thunderbird quarterbacks.[12]

Art career

Peter Ohler opened a small bookshop in Richmond in the 1960s. After retiring from football, he opened an art gallery in Vancouver, beginning with a handful of paintings by the Group of Seven. In 1976, he moved to Calgary, Alberta, where he established Masters Gallery.[13] Masters Gallery became a hub of art and culture in the city. Ohler focused on historical Canadian art but was always eager to give a platform to living artists. He worked closely with artists including Marion Nicol,[14] Jack Shadbolt, and Joane Cardinal-Schubert, among many others. He was known for building relationships with artists and clients, and for his genuine, abiding love for the art he handled.

In 1986, Ohler returned to Vancouver where he established a small gallery in Kerrisdale under the heading Peter Ohler Fine Art Ltd.. The move was driven largely by his search for effective treatment for severe cluster headaches. He worked closely with artists and other art dealers, including his best friend, Ken Heffel.[15] Among the historical artists he championed was Laura Muntz Lyall. The book Laura Muntz Lyall: Impressions of Women and Children is dedicated to Peter Ohler as follows:

A published poet, he has shared his ardent and discriminating love of art with private and public collectors, becoming in the process one of the great dealers in Canada.[16]

He operated his gallery until he retired in 2015.

Personal life

Peter Ohler has three sons from his first marriage, and one daughter from his second marriage. He has four grandchildren. He loved the ocean, spending a great deal of time exploring BC’s coast on his own boat and at the Hakai Pass,[17] a place where he not only enjoyed fishing but found much peace and poetry. Ohler also loved horses, and spent a great deal of time at the barns where he kept various horses over the years.

Death

Ohler died on June 7, 2021,[18] three days after being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 80.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Vancouver College - Hall of Honour Inductees". www.vc.bc.ca. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  2. ↑ "History of VC Football". vc.bc.ca. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Knight Air Ace Hits Rams, 43-12". The Spokesman-Review. October 10, 1960. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "1964 BC Lions (M)". bcsportshalloffame.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. 1 2 "Pete Ohler Quits Pro Grid Game". The Spokesman-Review. June 6, 1964. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Lions exact revenge in Grey Cup cat fight". cfl.ca. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Pete Ohler". cflapedia.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "WASHINGTON DOWNS PITT ELEVEN, 22-17". The New York Times. 1961-10-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  9. ↑ "Lions Land Pete Ohler". Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph. October 1, 1964. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Pete Ohler signs with Lions". The Leader-Post. May 6, 1967. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "'64 QB Peter Ohler: A Lion in winter". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  12. ↑ "Peter Ohler - Football Coach". University of British Columbia Athletics. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  13. ↑ "Peter Sidney Ohler (1940-2021)". Galleries West. 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  14. ↑ "Marion Nicoll sketchbooks found in Archives". www.mtroyal.ca. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  15. ↑ Ross, Gary (2014-05-08). "How Robert and David Heffel came to dominate the fine art market in Canada". GARY STEPHEN ROSS. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  16. ↑ Murray, Joan (2012). Laura Muntz Lyall: Impressions of Women and Childhood. Boardwalk Ventures Inc. and McGill-Queen's Press. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  17. ↑ "Peter Ohler Sr. – Oles Fishing Lodge". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  18. ↑ "Peter Ohler Obituary - Vancouver, BC". Dignity Memorial. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  19. ↑ "Pete Ohler Stats - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
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