Bruce Humber (1998)

Bruce Humber was one of the great Canadian sprinters and track and field coaches of his era. He was a member of the Canadian team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics where a dropped baton by a teammate denied him a medal in the 4x100 relay final. The Canadian team had to settle for fifth place behind the Jesse Owens powered Americans. During his track career, Humber faced the great Owens more than 20 times. As a star runner for the University of Washington Huskies in the 1930's, Humber set records in the 100 and 220 yards that were not eclipsed until the 1960's. As a coach, Humber guided the Flying "Y" to four B.C. titles and two Canadian team championships in the 1950's. He was named Canadian track and field head coach for the 1950 Auckland Commonwealth Games and 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics. Through Humber's efforts and the financial assistance of the Gyro Club of Victoria, the cinder track at Vic High became a reality in 1951 and his lobbying led to the building of the track at Centennial Stadium in 1967. He is a member of the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and University of Washington Hall of Fame.