Archie McKinnon came to Vancouver in 1911 and moved to Victoria in 1913. He became involved with the YMCA as a young man and continued this association throughout his life. A well-loved member of the community, MCKinnon was recognized with many awards and citations, including having the University of Victoria Athletic Complex and the YM-YWCA pool named after him. He has also been inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

McKinnon coached many different sports but was best known for his work in swimming and track and field. He coached at the Victoria YMCA from 1930-60 and was instrumental in forming the YMCA track and field team in 1920 and later the “Y Times” track meet.

McKinnon coached Canadian athletes at four Olympic Games: unofficial swim coach at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles; the official track coach at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin; the official swimming coach at the 1948 Olympic Games in London; and the official swimming coach at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

He coached many top caliber athletes including fellow BC Sports Hall of Fame members Peter Salmon, Bill Parnell, Bruce Humber, Paul Rowe, Doug and Torchy Peden, and Art and Chuck Chapman.