Bruce Kidd
Track & Field
1961
MARSH TROPHY TO KIDD
Friday, February 9, 1962
Bruce Kidd, facing the most challenging race of his short but meteoric track and field career, was named today as the 23rd winner of the Lou Marsh trophy.
The 18-year-old University of Toronto freshman was the unanimous choice of the board of judges. The trophy, perpetuating the memory of former Toronto Star sports editor Lou Marsh who died in 1936, is awarded annually to the athlete judged most outstanding in the country during the past year.
Tomorrow night in Los Angeles coliseum, Kidd will meet his first world record-breaker: Murray Halberg of New Zealand, the Olympic 5,000-metre champion and owner of world marks at two and three miles. Kidd has made a specialty of running away from Olympic athletes – but none so tough or dedicated as Halberg.
Kidd’s problem is two-fold:
1. To make a good showing against a man who, at the moment, has to be rated easily his superior.
2. To regain the competitive edge that has cost him a pair of third-place finishes in U.S. indoor meets so far this year.
His early training for this season was hampered by a foot injury suffered in November, followed by an infected blister which spoiled his debut at Boston in mid-January.
Kidd has regained his form in training, according to coach Fred Foot, but still is seeking the competitive fire that produces victories. A good showing in the two-mile against Halberg may do the trick, Foot believes.
Also racing against a world record-holder in Los Angeles will be Bill Crothers, Kidd’s university teammate who recently emerged from Bruce’s shadow to win two big titles on the U.S. indoor circuit. His 2.08.6 for 1,000 yard last Saturday in Boston was just half a second off the world mark, and his 1.48 half-mile time in the relay was two seconds under the listed record.
Crothers’ opponent: Peter Snell, the New Zealand dynamo who recently broke the world mile record with a 3.54.4 clocking, and the 880 yards and 800 metres marks with 1.45.1 and 1.44.3 respectively. They’ll race over 1,000 yards. In winning the Lou Marsh trophy, Kidd added to a list of honours which included Canadian Athlete of the Year award in the Canadian Press poll.
He is the fourth track and field man to win (the others were Phil Edwards in 1936, Gerard Cote in 1940 and Bob McFarlane in 1950), and the highlights of his 1961 campaign were:
- A SURPRISE VICTORY in the two-mile at the Boston K. of C. games in January as a 17-year-old schoolboy. It was this win, in a record 8.49, which rocketed him to prominence.
- VICTORY IN THE U.S. indoor three-mile championship at New York’s Madison Square garden in February.
- NORTH AMERICAN RECORD for 5,000 metres and three miles at Compton, Calif., in June: 13.56.4 and 13.26.6.
- A HOST OF CANADIAN schoolboy and senior records at distances from one to three miles.
- VICTORY IN THE AAU 10,000-metre cross-country championship at Louisville, Kentucky in November.
In naming Kidd, the board – Oscar Pearson, Charles Ring, who donated the award, Harry Foster, Charles Higginbotham and Donald Ross – gave honourable mention to:
Vancouver’s world record-breaking swimmer, Mary Stewart.
Sprinter Harry Jerome of Vancouver, former world record-holder at 100 yards and co-holder at 100 metres.
Edmonton’s Gail Ross, a member of the Canadian equestrian team who made a spectacular comeback after suffering serious injury in an automobile accident.
The late Bob Hayward of London, winner of the Harmsworth trophy, killed in a powerboat race at Detroit.
Jim Elder of Toronto, a winner in international equestrian events.
Kidd succeeds world ski champion Ann Heggtveit of Ottawa. Details of the official presentation of the trophy, which resides in the hall of Fame at the Canadian National Exhibition Park, will be announced later.