Athlete, community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 28 July 1958, he moved with his family to British Columbia when he was seven years old. There, in 1977, his right leg was amputated after he was diagnosed with bone cancer. An active athlete, he continued to run using an artificial leg which gave him a characteristic hopping gait. In 1980, he attempted to run across Canada to raise awareness for cancer research but was forced to end the effort near Thunder Bay, Ontario when cancer spread to his lungs. He was the youngest person inducted into the Order of Canada (1980) and he received the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s best athlete (1980).
He died on 28 June 1981. He was inducted posthumously into the Winnipeg Citizens Hall of Fame (2010), Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (2012), Canada’s Walk of Fame (2017), Manitoba Runners Association Hall of Fame (2019), and the Manitoba Indigenous Sports Hall of Fame (2024). In 2014, the Manitoba government commemorated him by renaming the August civic holiday as Terry Fox Day.
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Terry Fox Hall of Fame / Canadian Disability Hall of Fame
“Terry Fox gets his day in Manitoba,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 July 2014.
We thank Rick Mutton for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 24 June 2025
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
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