[1] Spracklen was also part of the coaching team that brought Oxford University success in the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Spracklen's youngest son Adrian is a former British international lightweight oarsman and now coaches rowing at Mercyhurst College, Pennsylvania.

He represented England and won a gold medal in the double sculls at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales.

[3][4] Spracklen's first major success was in coaching the Great Britain double scull to silver in the Montreal Olympic Games 1976.

After a disappointing finishing position of fifth in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic eights, he returned to Great Britain as the women's national team coach.

Spracklen began coaching the Canadian men's squad in 2000, winning the gold medal for eights at the 2002, 2003 and 2007 World Championships[7] and at the 2008 Olympics.