The Victoria Flying "Y" was one of the greatest athletic juggernauts Canadian sports have ever seen. Between 1930 and 1962, Archie McKinnon's Victoria YMCA track and field and swim teams placed at least one, and usually more, athletes on every Canadian team to the Summer Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Over that period, Flying "Y" athletes, a virtual Who's Who of Canadian track and field and swimming, set more than 50 Canadian records and won numerous international medals. "Cherish the medals," coach and mentor Archie McKinnon used to tell his Flying "Y" athletes. "But always keep in mind that they don't represent the be-all and end-all of sport, the real thing of value is the sweat and work that went into it. " Some of the credit goes to the Victoria Flying "Y" volunteer coaches who helped Archie and his athletes build this record and includes the likes of Bruce Humber, Bob Johnstone, Bob Dorhety, Joan Langdon, Al Aylward, Bob Hutchison, Harry Mitchell, Jack Todd and Rafael Melendez-Duke among many others.

Eddie Haddad was an outstanding amateur boxer who lost only two bouts in 49 fights. He represented Canada in the quarterfinals of the 1948 Olympics and won a bronze medal in the 1950 British Empire Games in New Zealand. Haddad was one of the best and most gifted lightweight amateur boxers ever to enter the ring in Canada. In 1947 he won the BC Golden Boy title, was named Victoria's Athlete of the Year and he won the Norton Crowe Award as Canada's best amateur athlete. In 1948 he retained the BC and Pacific Northwest Golden Gloves titles. Eddie's sportsmanship was admirable and he never complained about the controversial decisions that robbed him of a medal in the 1948 Olympics and possible gold in his last bout at the British Empire Games after which he retired with an injured shoulder.