Dave Bailey

Dave Bailey gained international attention in 1966 when, as a student at the University of Toronto, he became the first Canadian to run the mile in under four minutes. He had already competed internationally at the 1965 University Games, but he took his first medal, silver, in the 1500 metres in 1967 behind Bodo Tümmler of West Germany. That same year, he was third in the 1500 metres at the Pan American Games, behind Americans Tom Von Ruden and Sam Blair. His other major international appearances took place at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. In the latter tournament, he was eliminated in round one of the 1500 metres.

Bailey graduated with pharmaceutical degrees from the University of Toronto in 1968, 1970, and 1973. He worked in industry for many years, before taking up a position at the University of Western Ontario as a professor in the Departments of Physiology & Pharmacology and Medicine. His most notable discovery was the reaction between grapefruit juice and certain medications, leading to warning labels being affixed to drugs about this interaction. He was inducted into the University of Toronto’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

Personal Best: 1500 – 3:41.1 (1968).