Harry Wade

In his youth, Harry Wade played football and basketball, winning numerous city and provincial championships in these sports during the late 1940s. He continued with both sports during his tenure at the University of Western Ontario and won two national collegiate titles in basketball and one in football from 1948 through 1951. Following his graduation, he joined the Tillsonburg Livingstons as a player/coach and helped them win the 1952 Canadian senior men’s national championship. This earned him the opportunity to contest for the right to represent his country at the 1952 Summer Olympics, which he captured by helping defeat his alma mater three games to one in five game series. At the Olympics, Canada emerged undefeated in their group by defeating Italy, Romania, and Egypt in the qualification round, but was then eliminated in Round One following losses to Brazil, Argentina, and the Philippines. Wade played in all six matches.

Wade returned to the Tillsonburg Livingstons after the Games and again reached the national finals in 1953. Although he soon retired as a player, he continued coaching various teams for many years thereafter. By career he joined the export company Livingston Products (later Livingston Industries) upon his graduation, becoming its president in 1979 and serving until his retirement in 1985. He was inducted into the University of Western Ontario and Windsor/Essex County Sports Halls of Fame in 1985 and 2001 respectively.