Winners: Rich Ferguson, Athletics

1954 - Feature Story

He is the answer to a popular sports trivia question: Who finished third in the famed Miracle Mile in 1954? Sport enthusiasts know Roger Bannister defeated John Landy in that sub-four-minute mile race at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver. But it is often forgotten that Canada’s Rich Ferguson also earned a measure of glory on that historic day, by finishing third in a time of 4:04.6.  By age 19, Toronto’s Ferguson had been tabbed as the top junior runner in North America, qualifying for Canada’s team to the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland. He also competed in the 5,000m at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. His effort in the mile at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver was impressive, as his personal best prior to the event was 4:13. Ferguson ran a 4:07.8 in the heats, and then improved to 4:04.6 in the historic final, a Canadian native record. He also finished fifth in the 880 yards at the Games, equaling the Canadian native record of 1:52.7.

Career Highlights

• 1954 Bronze medal in the 1-mile athletics event at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada
• 1954 Lionel Conacher Award (Canada’s male athlete of the year)
• 1954 Ferguson set a Canadian native record of 4:04.6 in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the mile
• 1952 Ferguson set a Big Ten record for a cross-country race while with the University of Iowa
• 1951 Ferguson set a Canadian record in the two mile with a time of 9:22.8