Forty years after missing out on a glorious opportunity to compete in the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Bruce Kidd has been made aware that his career in sports has not gone unnoticed. In fact, it has been recognized as distinguished by the top level of government in this country.

On July 30 Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, awarded Kidd the Order of Canada. He joins famed U of T professors Ian Hacking and Cranford Pratt as recipients of this highly coveted honour. The official induction ceremony is set to take place in the near future.

“I never intended to work in sports and physical education: my first degree at the University of Toronto was in political economy and I thought I would become a civil servant, lawyer or politician,” revealed the current Dean of Physical Education and Health at U of T. “But I feel very, very lucky to have been able to work in this field at U of T for the last 35 or so years.”

Kidd has been known for his tireless work against racism, sexism and unfair labour practices in sports. He has written several books on the subject, and has been published in the Globe and Mail and various other newsletters, bulletins and papers. The Dean is also a member of groups such as Oxfam, who fight for fair trade around the world.

“Given that athletes and sports teams are so dependent upon uniforms and equipment, and often advertise certain brands, its only fair that such equipment and uniforms are produced according to fair labour practices,” he explained. “We cannot ask for fair treatment for ourselves and deny it to others upon whom we rely.”

Bruce Kidd first emerged on the national stage at the age of 19 in the early sixties, when he was known as one of the best long distance runners in the world. Distance running had been known as a sport for athletes at later stages in their careers up until this point.

The low point of his career occurred in 1964, when a favoured Kidd was unable to compete in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo because of an injury.

“It was the biggest disappointment of my career,” he recalled, as he reflected on his younger days.

In 1973, Bruce moved from the realm of competition into the field of sports administration, as he joined the U of T faculty in the area of physical education and health. He has held several titles here since: director of the School of Physical and Health Education, which become the Faculty of Phys. Ed and Health; acting director of the Department of Athletics and Recreation; and dean of Faculty of Physical Education and Health, a title he has held since the faculty was created in 1998.

He was able to find similarities and connections between his playing and administrative duties: “I have enjoyed both experiences a great deal, and the first certainly prepared me in some ways for the other. Both require careful, tactical judgments about timing – when to put in a burst and when to hold back and wait, but you need much more patience as an administrator, at least I do.”

Parents and coaches had a large hand in shaping Kidd’s views on sports, politics and equality. They taught him to be humble, grounded and fair in everything he does.

Kidd explained that these, along with other reasons, are why he decided to be as politically active as he has been throughout his life: “Lots of reasons have made me want to be involved. Principled parents and coaches for starters. But it was also instructive, growing up as a celebrated white Toronto male athlete, to see my equally talented teammates such as Harry Jerome and Abby Hoffman often treated differently, simply because they were black in Harry’s case and female in Abby’s. That had a strong motivating effect upon me.”

After all he has achieved, Bruce Kidd is still not content to sit back and enjoy the abundant success he has had throughout the past 40 years. He is moving from one good cause to another, as he now is involved in the project to rebuild Varsity Stadium: “What else would I like to accomplish? I want to help bring about the revitalization of Varsity Stadium and Varsity Arena.”

This goal may be achieved in October, when governing council votes on the proposed Varsity Stadium deal that involves the government and the Toronto Argonauts.