Inducted into the hall of fame - Oct 14, 04
The Honorable Sydney Pierce was a Montrealer who competed as a hurdler for Canada at the 1924 Paris Olympics and went on to serve three decades in numerous countries as an ambassador to Canada.
Born Sydney David Pierce in Montreal on March 30, 1901, he lived to the age of 91 before passing away on May 17, 1992.
Pierce helped lead McGill to five consecutive intercollegiate championships in track and field. A football player at McGill in the early 1920s, he tried out for the track team and quickly mastered hurdles.
In 1923, after only three months of practice, he won both the Canadian amateur and collegiate high hurdles championships. The following year, he won the high and low hurdles college titles, setting McGill records in both events.
He competed for Canada in the 110-yard hurdles at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Following his athletic career, Pierce entered government service and later became the Canadian Ambassador to Mexico, Brazil, and Belgium. He also served as a Foreign Minister to the United States and Luxembourg, in addition to a stint as Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.