User:Connormah/Clare Drake

Clare James Drake (born October 9, 1928) is a Canadian educator and coach. He served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers from 1975 to 1976.

Drake was born on October 9, 1928 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, to Clarence and Grace Drake. Drake excelled in sports in his childhood, and had a passion for baseball and hockey, in which he played for junior hockey teams in Regina and Medicine Hat. Drake attended the University of British Columbia, where he played varsity hockey until graduating with a Bachelor of Physical Education degree in 1951. In the same year, Drake joined the Western League Baseball to be an infielder for the Kamsack Cyclones. After helping out his former high school physical education football coach, the school was impressed with Drake's abilities, and although his degree from the University of British Columbia did not allow him to teach high school, he was added to the staff. He earned his teaching credentials from the University of Alberta in 1954.