It has been 84 years since Percy Williams of East Vancouver won two gold medals in track and field at the Amsterdam Olympics — a feat that has never been repeated by a Canadian.
1928 – Archives item# CVA 99-3631 & CVA 99-3638. Photographer: Stuart Thomson.
As part of the King Edward High School track team, Williams made a splash at an early age.
“…Williams won the 100 and 220 yards three straight years at the annual Vancouver and District inter-high school meet at Brockton Point Grounds in May 1926, 1927 and 1928, setting the meet’s 100-yard record of 10.0 seconds in 1927, which took 42 years to break, and the 220-yard mark of 22.0 seconds in 1928, a record that lasted 31 years…” [Vancouver Courier: The Runt That Could 2008]
It was on August 1st, 1928 that 20 year-old Percy Williams won gold in the 100 meters, then again in the 200 meters two days later. His was arguably the biggest sports story in Vancouver history:
“…The Vancouver Sun ran banner front-page headlines for four days straight about “the Canadian schoolboy from British Columbia” who “sprang from obscurity to fame.” His victory in the 100 metres was so unexpected that the band assigned to play the national anthem of the winning sprinter had to scramble around to find the sheet music for Canada. It wound up doing a ragged version of The Maple Leaf Forever…” [Vancouver Sun]
Williams was given a hero’s welcome back in Vancouver and schools were closed on September 14th for a parade in his honor that ran along Granville street to Stanley Park. Mayor L.D. Taylor presented Williams with a new car in appreciation of his achievements in sport.
1928 – Mayor L.D. Taylor congratulates Percy Williams at the Vancouver Opera House.
Archives item# CVA 371-249. Leonard Frank Photos.
He was the fastest man of his generation and has been called the greatest track athlete of the first part of the last century, as well as the greatest all-time Olympic athlete for Canada.
“…A 1950 Canadian Press poll rated his Olympic performance the most dramatic event in Canadian sports history to that time. The design of our flag was inspired by photos of Williams breasting the finish tape in his maple leaf singlet…” [Vancouver Courier: The Runt That Could 2008]
“…Oddly, today he may also be our country’s least-known sports hero, a champion of unsurpassed Canadian achievement who died in relative obscurity. Outside the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at B.C. Place Stadium is a life-sized statue of Williams, crouched in a sprinter’s stance. As people wandered past it, I asked if they knew who the statue depicted. Out of 10 people, I found only one who knew…” [Vancouver Courier: The Runt That Could 2008]
In 1930 Percy Williams set a world record for a 10.3 second 100 meter dash. He received the Order of Canada in 1979 and donated his medals to the BC Sports Hall of Fame — which were then stolen and have never been recovered. Williams started up an insurance business in later years and faded away. Tragically, he took his own life in 1982.
For more information on Percy Williams, read the full Vancouver Courier article “The Runt That Could”, and visit the BC Sports Hall of Fame which is located through Gate “A” at BC Place. Williams’ statue sits outside, crouched and ready to rush.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame has teamed up with the Vancouver Canadians once again this summer to honor the past and inspire the future.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame re-opened last fall in BC Place and you can visit daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Save your ticket stub from a Vancouver Canadians, BC Lions, or Whitecaps FC match and bring it to the Hall for 1/2 price admission for up to 2 weeks following game day. You can browse through the hall of inductees (including the class of 2011), learn about the legendary Asahi baseball team in old Japantown, and check out special galleries like the Vancouver 2010, Terry Fox, and Rick Hansen exhibits.
Some BC Sports Hall of Fame inductees for baseball include Arnie Hallgren, Larry Walker, and Helen and Margaret Callaghan who each have unique and inspiring stories.
Last year I partnered with the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the Vancouver Canadians for three weeks of giveaways and we already did it again this summer. We now have one giveaway left for the Vancouver Canadians vs the Everett Aquasox on August 16th with special guest Duane Ward.
You can enter for the chance to win 10 tickets to the game and throw out the ceremonial first pitch in front of family, friends, and the whole Nat Bailey crowd. Here’s how you can enter to win this incredible experience:
- Leave a comment naming a Canadian baseball player (past/present/any league) (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Monday, August 6, 2012 at 10:00am. The BC Sports Hall of Fame will also be FREE for kids this BC Day (Monday, August 6th). Update The winner is Jackie!
Growing up in Surrey, our beach options were abundant. We could head to one of Vancouver’s beaches, a Stanley Park beach, a lake beach at White Pine or Buntzen, Belcarra, or stay closer to home at Crescent Beach or White Rock. Crescent Beach or White Rock often won out. Strolls along the promenade, fish and chips, ice cream, sandcastles, and observing crabbers dipping their cages off the far end of the pier.
Built with Federal Funds in 1914 at 628 feet long, the White Rock Pier officially re-opened on this day in 1915 after 983 feet were added.1 It’s one of the area’s most-photographed landmarks and it’s today’s Metro Vancouver Icon.
“Its primary function was, then as it is now, to serve as a tourist facility for pleasure boats, for a promenade, and for fishing and swimming. Since its construction it has acted as the focus for White Rock’s summer tourist activities.”2
Other Vancouver Icons posts include: The Main Post Office, Planetarium Building, Lord Stanley Statue, Vancouver Library Central Branch, Victory Square, Digital Orca, The Crab Sculpture, Girl in Wetsuit, The Sun Tower, The Hotel Vancouver, The Gassy Jack Statue, The Marine Building, and The Angel of Victory. Should you have a suggestion for the Vancouver Icons series please feel free to leave a note in the comments. It should be a thing, statue, or place that is very visible and recognizable to the public.
1 Chuck Davis’ Vancouver History
2 Surrey History
The BC Day long weekend is coming up and local attractions are getting in the spirit of celebrating our province. Here are just few things you can do for free from August 3rd to August 6th, 2012:
Wooden Coaster at Playland
PNE Playland announced that they will be offered free rides on their iconic wooden roller coaster from 6:00am to 9:00am on Friday, August 3rd. Public can enter through Gate 12 near Pacific Adventure Golf. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
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