Eric Liddell awarded honorary degree 100 years after Olympic Gold win

His achievements, both on and off the track, have been immortalised in film and cemented in Scottish sporting history. Liddell represented Great Britain in athletics, was capped for Scotland in rugby, and worked as a Christian missionary. 

A former graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Mr Liddell was awarded a posthumous degree of doctor honoris causa by the University’s Moray House School of Education and Sport. Mr Liddell was nominated for a posthumous honorary degree by the University of Edinburgh’s, Chair of Sport, Professor Grant Jarvie.  

The award was given in recognition of his contribution to sport and humanity, and in celebration of his continuing impact a centenary after his historic success in Paris.  Mr Liddell was represented at the ceremony in the University’s McEwan Hall by his daughter, Patricia Liddell Russell, who accepted the award on his behalf. Mrs Russell, aged 88, travelled from her home in Ontario, Canada to attend the ceremony. 

Eric Liddell is one of Scotland’s most celebrated athletes of all time. When inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame he topped the public vote as Scotland’s most popular sports person.  A century after his Olympic success and graduating from University of Edinburgh what Eric Liddell represents is the best of all of us and the promise and invitation of what we could do to help others. As we look forward to another Olympic Games in Paris this summer, it is entirely deserved that we honour this remarkable person’s contribution to sport and humanity with this honorary degree today.

Professor Grant Jarvie

Mr Liddell, dubbed the ‘Flying Scotsman’, won the 400 metres at the 1924 summer games in a world record time of 47.6 seconds, and a bronze medal in the 200 metres. 

He refused to take part in the 100-metre heats, which were held on a Sunday, in line with his Christian beliefs. This act of faith and principle helped inspire the 1981 Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, which told the story of his and others’ Olympic triumphs. 

Mr Liddell enrolled for a BSc degree in Pure Science at the University of Edinburgh in 1920 and graduated four years later on 17 July 1924, just six days after winning gold, in the same hall where his honorary degree was conferred a century later. 

Following his athletic career, the father of three worked as a science teacher, and later served as a missionary around the world, most notably in China. He was held in a Japanese internment camp in 1943, where he died on 21 February 1945 aged 43. 

I was sitting on the stage in the graduation ceremony thinking, 100 years ago, practically to the day, my father received his own degree from the University of Edinburgh. How extraordinary it is to be here all these years later, and to think back on how he used his degree throughout his own life, in teaching and helping others. It is important that my father is remembered today, and for me personally, it is a huge gift that he is recognised with this honorary degree for who he was and what he was.

Patricia Liddell Russell

Related links

Eric Henry Liddell – 100 Years – A Timeline and a Tribute – Sport Matters (ed.ac.uk)

The Eric Liddell 100 - The Eric Liddell Community

Eric Liddell: Legacy of an Olympic Legend | Scottish Parliament Website

Image credit Neil Hanna