Phil Edwards (runner) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Phil Edwards

Phil Edwards at the 1928 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Philip Aaron Edwards
Nationality	Canadian
Born	September 23, 1907 Georgetown, British Guiana
Died	September 6, 1971 (aged 63) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	64 kg (141 lb)
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Running (Track and Field)
College team	New York University McGill University
Club	Hamilton Olympic Club
Medal record Representing Canada Olympic Games Bronze 1928 Amsterdam 4×400 metres Bronze 1932 Los Angeles 800 metres Bronze 1932 Los Angeles 1500 metres Bronze 1932 Los Angeles 4×400 metres Bronze 1936 Berlin 800 metres Representing  British Guiana British Empire Games Gold 1934 London 880 yards

Philip Aaron Edwards (born September 23, 1907 – died September 6, 1971) was an amazing athlete from Canada and Guyana. He was a track and field star who ran in middle-distance races.

People called him the "Man of Bronze" because he won so many bronze medals at the Olympic Games. For a long time, he was Canada's most successful Olympian! He was also the very first person to win the Lou Marsh Trophy, which is given to Canada's best athlete. Later in life, he became a captain in the Canadian army during World War II. He also became a respected doctor who knew a lot about tropical diseases.

Early Life and Background

Phil Edwards was born in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana). He grew up in a big family with thirteen children. His father was a judge, and his family was well-known in the Black community there.

Phil's father came from Barbados, and his mother might have been from Trinidad. A newspaper article from 1928 said that Phil's grandmother on his father's side was East Indian. It also said his grandfather on his mother's side was Scottish.

Phil went to Queen's College in Georgetown. He even had another famous Olympian, Jack London, as a classmate! Phil once said that when he was young, he practiced sprinting by racing an angry cow in the countryside.

Athletics Career

Starting Out in New York

By the time he was 16, Phil was already the best runner at his school. After finishing school, he moved to the United States. In 1925, he started studying at New York University (NYU). His older brother, "King" Edward, was already a great athlete there.

Phil's parents and some of his brothers and sisters also moved to New York. They started a business in Harlem. At NYU, Phil trained with coach Emil Von Elling. He got much better at running, especially in races like the 880 yards (about 800 meters). In 1927, he almost won the US national title in the 880 yards. Two years later, in 1929, he won that race!

Competing in the Olympics

Phil was a very talented runner, good enough for the Olympics. But he couldn't compete for the United States because he wasn't an American citizen. However, since he was a British subject, he could compete for another country in the British Empire.

In 1927, Melville Marks Robinson, who managed Canada's Olympic track and field team, invited Phil to join them. Phil competed for Canada in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. There, he won his first bronze medal as part of Canada's 4 × 400 meter relay team.

After the 1928 Olympics, Phil left NYU. He moved to Montreal, Canada, to study medicine at McGill University. He also joined McGill's track team.

British Empire Games Success

Phil continued to work with Bobby Robinson. He competed for British Guiana in the very first 1930 British Empire Games. These games were held in Hamilton, Ontario, and Bobby Robinson helped create them. Phil finished fifth in the 880 yards and 1 mile races.

He competed again for British Guiana in the 1934 British Empire Games in London. This time, he made history! He won the 880 yards race, becoming the first Black man to win a gold medal at what are now called the Commonwealth Games.

More Olympic Medals

At McGill University, Phil was the captain of the track team from 1931 to 1936. He led his team to win six championships in a row!

On the world stage, Phil competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He also went to the famous 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. In Berlin, he was one of several Black athletes, like American runner Jesse Owens, who competed in front of the Hitler government.

Phil won more bronze medals:

• In 1932, he won bronze in the 800 meters, 1500 meters, and the 4 × 400 meter relay.
• In 1936, he won bronze again in the 800 meters.

After the 1936 games, Phil faced a problem. The hotel where his team was supposed to stay in London refused to let him stay because he was Black. The entire Canadian team stood by him and canceled their stay at that hotel. They all went to another hotel together.

After the Olympics

In 1939, Phil was persuaded to compete in a local "Olympiad" event in British Guiana. Even though he hadn't trained much and had a small injury, he finished fifth in the 880 yards.

The 1940 Summer Olympics were planned for Helsinki, Finland, but they were canceled because World War II started.

In 1957, Phil Edwards and another person named James Worrall helped start Canada's first international sports program. This program helped young athletes in the Eastern Caribbean.

Recognition and Awards

Edwards (middle) in a semi final of the 800 metres at the 1928 Olympics.

Phil Edwards earned the nickname "Man of Bronze" because of his five Olympic bronze medals. For many years, he held the record for the most Olympic medals won by a Canadian. Later, other athletes like Marc Gagnon, François-Louis Tremblay, Cindy Klassen, and Clara Hughes would join or pass his record.

Phil was one of the first Black athletes to win an Olympic medal. He was also one of only a few Black athletes, including Ray Lewis and Barbara Howard, to represent Canada in the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1936, Phil Edwards was the very first person to win the Lou Marsh Trophy, which honors Canada's top athlete.

Many years later, Phil was honored in several sports halls of fame:

• Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1997)
• McGill University Sports Hall of Fame (1997)
• Quebec Sports Hall of Fame (2005)

Since 1972, an award called the Phil A. Edwards Memorial Trophy has been given each year to Canada's best track athlete.

Medical Career

In 1936, Phil Edwards became the first Black person to graduate from McGill University's medical school. This happened just before he competed in the 1936 Olympics and was named Canada's top athlete.

After medical school, he worked for three years as a surgeon at the General Hospital in Barbados. During World War II, he paused his medical career to serve in the Canadian army. He became a captain before returning to Montreal.

In 1945, he earned a special medical diploma. He became an expert in tropical diseases. He worked at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital and went on many international medical missions. For example, in 1960, Dr. Edwards was part of a Canadian Red Cross team that helped people in Congo.

Personal Life

At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, Phil met his first wife, Edith Margaret Oedelschoff. They got married in October 1929 in New York City.

Dr. Edwards passed away in 1971 from heart problems, just a few days before his 64th birthday. He was survived by his wife, Diane Edwards, and his three daughters, Pamela, Dale, and Gwendolyn. He is buried in the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.