Gordon ''Donnie'' Cain lived a multi-faceted life. He ran a successful construction business and was father of three sons. He was Scottish long-jump champion three years in succession, a coach who became mentor to several champions, an outstanding rugby winger, and a gifted musician.
Cain, whose funeral is at 10am today at Edinburgh's Seafield Crematorium, was national long-jump champion in 1954-56, continuing a family sports tradition. His brother, Sammy, and won the Powderhall Sprint in 1945.
For more than 40 years, Cain was an inspirational athletics coach. Before giving up jumping to switch to sprinting, Olympic 100-metres champion Allan Wells was one of his group. Donnie made no secret of his view that Wells's decision to switch events was the right one. Other proteges included Scottish champions John Scott and Rod McKay. He also helped inspire Frank Dick, and was best man to the athlete who was later to become UK director of coaching.
He did voluntary work with the British Council, coaching in Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Sudan, and Malta, as well as coaching professionally in Saudi Arabia. Gordon was one of a small group of Scots to be accorded the prestigious Master Coach award.
In the 1950s and 1960s, he also excelled at the sprints and was a formidable rugby winger for County Rovers. He was choirmaster and organist at Old St Paul's Episcopal Church in the city centre, but was equally at home playing the boogie-woogie.
''Feel fluffy'' was his catchphrase to jumpers, but when Shettleston high-jumper Russell Walker bought a stack of badges of a little dog called Fluffy, the group predictably refused to wear them.
Cain met his wife, Ilse, a high-jumper, while on national service in Germany. He would joke that he'd had to reinforce the floor of the family home because of this Valkyrie. The group was stunned to meet a petite, slim woman.
Donnie's style was characterised by humour, generosity, enthusiasm, and consideration for others. He died aged 75, last weekend, in St Columba's
Hospice. He is survived by Ilse and sons Gordon and Nigel. Michael, who enjoyed a
successful ballet career, died some years ago.
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