Bobbie Rosenfeld
Bobbie Rosenfeld posing in the starting position.
Date:1920’s
Collection:Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Feature Story
Fanny Rosenfeld might never have been able to demonstrate to the world how great an athlete she was if she hadn’t gone to a picnic in Beaverton, Ontario in 1923. Rosenfeld, who went exclusively by the nickname Bobbie, was a hockey and softball playing stenographer for a Toronto chocolate factory. Born in Russia her family had immigrated to Canada, specifically to Barrie, Ont., when Bobbie was an infant. Growing up she developed a love of sport, most notably hockey. She moved to Toronto in 1922, where her school teams won city championships in basketball, hockey and softball. Bobbie also participated in football, lacrosse, golf, tennis and speed skating and played on several women’s hockey teams (and eventually formed and ran a women’s hockey league) playing softball and baseball in the summer. Her softball team was playing that day in Beaverton and after the game teammates persuaded her to enter a 100-yard dash. She entered and in winning happened to defeat Canadian sprint champion Rosa Grosse. Her focus now switched to track and field. Fanny would become an Olympic athlete winning a Gold medal at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam in the 400-metre relay, plus silver in the 100m. The onset of crippling arthritis ended her athletic career temporarily in 1929, then, after a two-year respite, permanently in 1933. Rosenfeld ultimately became a coach in a number of sports while graduating to journalism, writing a vivid sports column for the Globe and Mail focusing on women’s sports that was peppered with her customary wisecracks. She retired two years before her death in 1969.
This is a black and white photograph of the 1928 Canadian Women's Relay Team. It shows (from L to R): Jane Bell, Myrtle Cook, Ethel Smith and Bobbie Rosenfeld.
Date: 1928
Collection: Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
The Toronto Girl’s Relay Team (left to right): Grace Conacher, Bobbie Rosenfeld, Myrtle Cook and Rosa Grosse.
Date: 1920’s
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Medal won by Bobbie Rosenfeld in the Girls Open 100 yards at the CNE.
Date: 1923
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Medal won by Bobbie Rosenfeld at the Halifax Chronicle for Broad Jumping Championships in Halifax.
Date: 1928
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Bobbie Rosenfeld posing with her collection of trophies.
Date: 1928
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Bobbie Rosenfeld posing with a baseball bat on a baseball field.
Date: 1920’s
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Bobbie Rosenfeld standing on a track.
Date: 1920’s
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
The Toronto Girl’s Relay Team (left to right) Grace Conacher, Bobbie Rosenfeld, Myrtle Cook and Rosa Grosse.
Date: 1920’s
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
Bobbie Rosenfeld running in a race
Date: 1920’s
Collection: Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
