The Tribune

Veteran sports advocate, broadcaster and former BAAA president Alpheus Finlayson has died, aged 76, just weeks after the death of his wife, Dawn.

Born in Nassau in 1947, he studied alongside school colleagues such as Leslie Miller and Malcolm Adderley. Finlayson ran track and field and went on to attend St Augustine's College where he continued to nurture his pasion for running - taking up the nickname Hawk when he had to put a name on his running shirt as a young man, a name he would be known by throughout his life.

As an advocate for running, he served as co-captain of the St John’s University Track Team, President of the Pioneer’s Sporting Club, and of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association from 1989 to 1997. He was also elected Vice President of the Central American Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation as well as Vice President of the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Area Athletic Associations.

In 1992, he was president of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association (BAAA) when triple jumper Frank Rutherford won bronze in the Barcelona Olympics, the first track and field medal for The Bahamas.

Alpheus also presided over the organisation in 1995 and 1997 when the first three World Championship medals were won.

Alpheus made history when he became the first Bahamian elected to the 27-member Council of the IAAF, the World governing body of track & field. He is a National Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

His book From Vancouver to Athens: Finlayson Fifty Years of Bahamian International Track & Field Competition is a best-seller. Alpheus has also authored weekly columns on “Track World” from 1980 to 1986 in The Tribune. He produced a television show on ZNS called Track World with Alpheus Finlayson and has written international newsletters with the same name. He also hosted the weekly radio show Track World with Alpheus Finlayson on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM.

He also worked as a financial services representative for Colina Insurance.

A host of tributes have been paid online by those who knew him, worked with him, or were part of his church community at St George's Anglican Church.

His wife, Dawn, died recently and her funeral was due to take place on Saturday morning at 10am.