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Art Willoughby grew up on the playgrounds of Vancouver’s West End and together with his friend Jimmy Bardsley became known as the ‘Gold Dust Twins’ later teaming to become an athletic force at King George High School and UBC.
Heading off to UBC in 1933, Willoughby joined Bardsley on the varsity basketball team and together with two other rookies, Hunk Henderson and George Pringle, UBC ultimately would become a hardcourt powerhouse.
The first season Willoughby was blossoming as a basketball player being dubbed, "The new find in BC Basketball.” In UBC’s first playoff game Art was varsity's top scorer and according to the Ubyssey “Art has developed into one of the most brilliant players on Coach Allen’s squad.” Later in those same playoffs, “Willoughby played a magnificent game and was undoubtedly the best man on the floor”. During the season captain Bob Osborne was UBC’s top scorer but for these playoffs it was rookie Willoughby who took those honors. In fact, two US coaches who liked his play stated Willoughby “is one of the best playmakers on the Pacific Coast.”
The following fall of 1934 Art and fellow basketballer Hunk Henderson made the varsity Football team. The two stood out for this mediocre pigskin squad with Willoughby particularly impressive in a Hardy Cup loss to Alberta. At the same time Willoughby was on the basketball floor as the Thunderbirds were having another stellar season. With UBC advancing to the 1935 BC finals, Willoughby was the league's leading scorer through these playoffs as well as acknowledged as one of UBC’s top playmakers. That fall, Willoughby also played on the Thunderbird Rugby team dubbed the “Wonder Team” as it was one of UBC’s best. Art was referred to by The Vancouver Sun as “the brainiest five-eights in the city.”
Following a year away from UBC to work in Trail, Willoughby, Bardsley and Henderson, the “3 Musketeers”, returned to Thunderbird Basketball for 1936/37 and along with newcomer Rann Matthison joined veteran George Pringle. The Ubyssey announced “prospects are bright”.
By spring of ‘37, under new coach Maury Van Vliet and led by the scoring of the starting five, UBC was entering the playoffs expecting to do well. Crowned league champions with Willoughby the top UBC scorer in the series final game, UBC then surprisingly knocked off former Canadian champion Victoria to win the ‘37 Provincial title. This advanced them to the National final against the Windsor Fords who the previous year had represented Canada at the Olympics in Berlin where they won Canada’s only Olympic Basketball Medal, finishing with a silver.
“Varsity captures Dominion Basketball Title” hit the readers of the Vancouver Sun. Windsor had lost its Canadian Crown to “Varsity's amazing young basketball team,” three games to one. Each game featured a buzzer beater shot to win, especially the key second game, when Willoughby’s shot from the corner with the ball in air as the buzzer sounded snatching victory, led to pandemonium. With Willoughby on the floor, one could see only a head of black curly hair in a mass of white uniforms. The final game two games later saw 4000 fans swarm the Vancouver Forum floor to carry off on their shoulders the victors.
Willoughby, following graduation, continued to play on city teams until 1940 and during his last five years played on three Canadian championship teams and three provincial champions. According to UBC coach Van Vliet, “Willoughby is one of the best in Canada when he’s on”. Meanwhile it was reported in August 1941 that three local athletes were leaving to join the RCAF including... Art Willoughby.
June 10, 1942, The Province headline read: “One of the City’s Finest Athletes, Art Willoughby, Dies in Crash”. The Vancouver Sun the next day reported “The greatest two-man hoop team Canada has ever seen, ‘The Gold Dust Twins’, was broken up yesterday when... Officer Willoughby was killed in a flying accident...” UBC graduate, and reporter Stu Keate remembered, “Art was what we like to call a great young Canadian – talented, intelligent, clean-living, and loyal... he had a refreshing modesty and charm which attracted to him a host of friends.”
Today, at King George High School Art’s legacy continues as at each year's graduation ceremony the Art Willoughby Memorial trophy is presented to both the Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
Fred Hume, UBC Athletics
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