Alexander S. Wilson (December 1, 1907 – December 9, 1994) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

sprinter who competed in both the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

and the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

. He was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and died in

Mission, Texas Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 77,058 at the 2010 census and an estimated 84,331 in 2019. Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas. Geography M ...

, United States. In 1928 he won a bronze medal with the Canadian team in the 4 × 400 metres relay event. In the 400 metre competition as well as in the 800 metre contest he was eliminated in the semi-finals. Four years later, he won the silver medal in the 800 metre event and the bronze medal in the 400 metre competition. With the Canadian team he won another bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metre relay contest. At the

1930 British Empire Games The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what now is known as the Commonwealth Games, and were held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The games were organized by ''Hamilton Spectator'' sportswriter Bobby Robinso ...

(now the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

) he won the gold medal in the 440 yards event and the bronze medal in the 880 yards competition. With the Canadian relay team he won the silver medal in the 4 × 440 yards contest.Commonwealth Games Medallists - Athletics (Men)
retrieved June 20, 2013 He was a track and field athlete at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

and the Alex Wilson Invitational was named for him because he went on to coach the

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

team for several decades. At Notre Dame he won the 400 meter NCAA Outdoor Championship in 1932.

Awards

* Canadian Track Hall of Fame (1954) * Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame (1967) *

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Cross Country Coaches Association National Coach of the Year (1972) *

US Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

(2008)

References

External links

*
Alex Wilson the greatest sprinter
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Alexander 1907 births 1994 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Athletes from Montreal Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1930 British Empire Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian male middle-distance runners Canadian people of British descent Canadian male sprinters Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Olympic silver medalists for Canada Olympic track and field athletes of Canada Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)