SPBS, July 19th, 2018 -- This honoree was a well rounded athlete excelling in many sporting activities, like cricket, football and athletics. He represented the Sandy Point High School in all three sporting disciplines. He was one of the first from St. Kitts to have been awarded a full athletic scholarship.
In 1972 Ezzard watched as a spectator, the 1st Leeward Islands Track and Field championships, which were held at the Basseterre High School grounds. The only athletes competing from the Sandy Point High School at that time were his best friend, Carl Allen (deceased) and Nadine Duggins. All the other athletes were from the Basseterre High School. The following year, Ezzard was a member of the St. Kitts team participating in the Leeward Island track & field championships held in Antigua. Throughout the years growing up in Sandy point, he admired many athletes. Guys like Arthur Adams, Milton Mills, and his brother Maxwell Wilson. In 1973, Ezzard changed the way the 800m race was run. Instead of jogging the first three laps and then sprinting the forth lap, he sprinted all four laps. At the Sandy Point High School sports day that year, he was given a special medal for the 800m by the Honorable Charles Mills, Sr. and won the Sportsman of the Year award.
In 1973, after being one of the most successful athletes in Sandy Point that year, he competed in the Inter Island Championships and won both the 400m and 800m. He also ran the third leg of the fastest 4 x 100m relay for high school boys, setting a new record. Members of that team were Patrick Adams, Winford Hanley, Ezzard Wilson and St. Clair Warner. It was after this track meet that he along with others from Sandy Point, were selected to represent the country in the second Leeward Islands championship held in Antigua. It was during this meet that he really made his mark. He set a new record in the two mile run and broke the mile record. In that meet he won two gold and two silver medals. At the end of the meet he was adjudged the most outstanding athlete. Over the next three years he would represent St. Kitts in many different track meets at home and in different countries.
As the pioneer of modern track and field in St. Kitts, Ezzard began a journey that would lead him to Idaho State University (thanks to Kurt Camerud). During this time he broke and set many records, won 4 Big Sky championships and represented Idaho State in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) indoor championships on two occasions. To this date he is still one of the top 10 record holders for the Indoor 800m, and ran as fast as 46s, anchoring the 4 x 400m relay, while starting the 4 x 100m relay with a 10.7s split. He was the first athlete from St. Kitts to have won a full scholarship in Track and Field and was the first to represent St. Kitts in the Commonwealth Games in 1978. To date he still holds the 800m indoor record in St. Kitts and was the record holder of the 1500m until 2017 which was set 33 years prior. In 1980, Ezzard was nominated by Idaho University for the NCAA post graduate scholarship. Only two students in the USA are awarded this scholarship annually.
Today he goes back to St. Kitts and works with athletes from Verchilds and Sandy Point High Schools and hopes to do more in the future. This is his way of giving back. Throughout the years Ezzard has been able to inspire many athletes from St. Kitts and in the 1980-81 school year, as the new director of athletics at Sandy Point High School, the school won both junior and senior Inter Island championships. He was also the captain of the St. Kitts athletic team from 1981-1982, until his departure from the island.
If you haven’t planned yet, you should do so now, to attend the SPBS Annual Awards Banquet, held in the Bronx, NY. Come and see the likes of Ezzard Wilson. Tickets can be had from the members of SPBS or online www.spbsinc.org. Donation is US$100. Our motto is “We give back so others can move forward”, so support our cause so that we can fulfill our motto.
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