The University of Toronto Varsity Blues family is mourning the loss of former Olympian and U of T Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Dr. David George Bailey, who passed away peacefully at his home in London, Ont., on August 27.
Bailey, who was a member of the Varsity Blues track and field team from 1964 to1967, achieved many highly-regarded accomplishments both on and off the track.
As a world-class runner, Bailey broke barriers. At 17 years old, he set the world record in the mile for his age group with a time of 4:07.5.
He went on to live one of his greatest achievements on June 11, 1966, when the U of T star became the first Canadian to run a sub four-minute mile, recording a time of 3:59.1 at a meet in San Diego. He topped that time a year later, running 3:57.7 in Toronto.
He competed for Canada at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, where he won a bronze medal in the 1500m. He also represented his country with great pride at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico.
As a Varsity Blue, Bailey made his mark at the university level. He was a two-time winner of the Ontario University Athletics Association's (OUAA) one-mile race, a two-time winner of the one-mile relay as well as a gold medalist in the three-mile and 880-yard races. In his time at U of T, he also was a member of the three-time champion cross-country team that won both the OUAA and CIAU titles.
He was inducted into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
Away from the track, Bailey helped make a key discovery in the medical and pharmaceutical world. While working on a clinical pharmacology study between lowering blood pressure and drugs and alcohol, he discovered the bizarre reaction between grapefruit juice and certain medications.
Bailey was recently back on campus in June, when he attended the naming ceremony of the Bruce Kidd Field House, supporting long-time friend and former teammate Bruce Kidd.
The Varsity Blues wish to extend their deepest condolences to the Bailey family and all whom he touched and inspired during his illustrious career.