kawarthaNOW has learned that Peterborough sports legend and former city councillor Paul S.B. (PSB) Wilson has passed away at the age of 86.
He died in hospital from an illness on Sunday (January 4), just weeks from his 87th birthday.
Wilson is best known as Trent University’s founding athletic director, a position he held for 36 years until he retired in 2002, and as a passionate promoter and supporter of local sports. He also spent three terms as Town Ward councillor on Peterborough city council starting in 1985 and, later on, hosted a regular talk show on YourTV Cogeco.
Wilson was inducted into the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, the University of Toronto’s Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Pathway of Fame Peterborough and District in 2016.
In recognition of Wilson’s contribution to sports at Trent University, a building at the Trent Athletics Centre was named in his honour in 2002.
“Paul’s unwavering code of fair play, his belief that sport and fitness opportunities should be available to all, and his firm conviction that involvement in athletics contributes greatly to the well-bring of the individual and the community, are the foundation on which the athletics program at Trent University have been built,” reads a plaque at Trent University.
In 2015, Trent University unveiled the PSB Wilson Lounge in the upper level of the Trent Athletics Centre in his honour.
Born in Orpington, England in 1939, Wilson came to Canada in 1960 and studied at the University of Toronto where he played with the men’s rugby squad. As team captain, he helped the Varsity Blues earn four straight Ontario titles, and led the league in scoring in all four of those seasons.
He was also an important part of the university’s squash team during the 1963-64 academic year. When he graduated from Trinity College in 1964, he was named the recipient of the George M. Biggs Trophy, which is awarded to the male student-athlete who contributed most to the university in the areas of leadership, sportsmanship, and performance.
In 1966, Wilson married his wife Gillian and, a month later, the couple moved from England to Peterborough where he brought his skill and love of squash, rugby, and cricket to Trent University, becoming the university’s first athletic director and founding Trent Excalibur Rugby. He also established varsity soccer, hockey, basketball, football, and the squash program, developing the first squash facilities in the community at Trent University.
Two years after Wilson took the position as athletics director, 67 per cent of Trent University students were participating in athletics. A PSB Wilson Fund for athletics and recreation and a PSB Wilson Bursary Endowment Fund were later established.
Throughout his career, Wilson also supported the growth of rugby at the high school and university levels and in community leagues. He contributed countless volunteer hours as a referee, tournament organizer, and official at schools throughout the region, and organized many local squash tournaments and international rugby tours.
He also continued to participate in sports, playing for the Peterborough Pagans rugby team for 10 years including 1967 when they won the Ontario Intermediate Championship.
Wilson was a six-time city champion in squash and twice provincial champion in his age group. During his squash career, he was a finalist in Canadian, U.S., and World Masters squash championships and, in 1993, received Squash Ontario’s highest honour, the Special Achievement Award, for his contributions as a player, coach, and administrator.
Wilson was also a well-respected local politician and was elected as Town Ward councillor from 1985 to 1997, while also serving on the Trent University board of directors.
“Paul’s decade of service on city council was marked by a civility combined with a constructive sense of humour to the workings of council,” reads his induction to the Peterborough Pathway of Fame. “His contribution to the well-being of Peterborough citizens is legendary.”
In his later years, Wilson also volunteered his time as a talk show host on Cogeco YourTV, participating in over 50 broadcasts a year. His ongoing “Truly Local Conversations” show saw him interview many prominent Peterborough residents.
Wilson was inseparable from his wife Gillian who, shortly after moving to Peterborough, became immersed in the Peterborough Theatre Guild and was herself inducted into the Peterborough Pathway of Fame in 2003 for her contributions to the performing arts. Trent University also recognized her for her contributions to the university with a tribute wall in the Trent Athletics Centre alongside her husband’s. The couple both served as residential dons for Lady Eaton College for a number of years.
“I am so lucky to live in Peterborough,” Wilson said in a 2023 interview with the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame. “This community has been so good to me.”
This story will be updated when information about a reception or service becomes available.
The original version of this story has been updated to correct Paul Wilson’s age and to remove his birth date, which will be confirmed when his obituary is available.
