A 1920's UBC athlete and first of a well-known Vancouver sport family, Mulhern was a star on UBC's track and boxing teams. He was a key competitor in UBC's traditional Arts '20 relay, twice on the winning team, plus UBC's best boxer. While a student in 1926 Mulhern won the Canadian amateur featherweight boxing championship - only the second Canadian championship won by a UBC athlete or team.
Eddie Mulhern, born in Vancouver, was the first of eight Mulhern children and the first of numerous Mulherns who contributed greatly to the sports history of British Columbia. Due to his parents' separation, Eddie grew up mostly in charge of himself, living with his father in the Patricia Hotel in Vancouver's east end. Clever, disciplined and fiercely hard working, he excelled at school and sports while working in the family hotel.
In 1923/24 Mulhern began his eclectic UBC athletic career as a member of the Freshman rugby team. Also in '24 he was the "fast man in the last lap", pacing the Freshmen to third place in the Arts '20 Relay race. The next year, 1924/25, Arts student Mulhern moved up to the UBC Intermediate rugby team where his play was instrumental in helping the team win the B.C. Intermediate Championship.
In February of 1925, Mulhern ran for the victorious Arts '27 team in the 1925 version of the Arts '20 relay. The team established a new relay record this year, shattering the former by almost a minute. According to the Vancouver Province, "much credit (for the victory) is due to the performance of Eddie Mulhern for his mastery sprint along 12th Avenue in the seventh lap. Mulhern overtook the defending lap champion and settled the issue beyond all doubt when he handed a 40 yard lead to Charlie Mottley who broke the tape for the winners in record time." Mulhern complimented his running by serving as secretary-treasurer of this year's Arts '20 relay.
The proficiency Mulhern displayed on the track and rugby field notwithstanding, it was his boxing ability that attracted for the young student provincial and national attention. As a member of UBC's 24/25 six man Boxing team, Mulhern was the star. Late in '24 UBC's team traveled to Seattle to take on the boxers of the University of Washington. Washington defeated UBC four bouts to two, but one of UBC's two victories was registered by Eddie Mulhern, in the 125 pound class. Under coach Jack Dawson, the UBC team practiced four nights a week and later in the year staged a return match with the University of Washington, again losing four to two. Eddie Mulhern repeated as a UBC winner, "... putting up a stellar exhibition of boxing... The UBC boy had it all over Ackley like a tent although the visiting boy was no slouch... The 125 pound bout was the best of the night and Eddie Mulhern showed a lot of class for the Blue & Gold."
Following the season Mulhern was elected the new president of the University Boxing Club for 1925/26, thereby serving on the Men's Athletic Executive.
Early in 1926, "Eddie Mulhern Puts Up Splendid Exhibition of Boxing in Championship" exclaimed the Province headlines. Mulhern of UBC had just won the Provincial Amateur Featherweight title in a victory over Gill Woods. To the delight of the crowd Mulhern was now the best in the province in his division, in a sport that was enjoying significant popularity.
In April 1926, third year Arts student Mulhern took his UBC boxing skills to the Canadian Amateur Boxing Championships held in New Westminster and promptly fought his way to the Canadian amateur Featherweight crown, defeating Jack Wilson of Winnipeg. According to the Vancouver Sun, "Eddie Mulhern, the clever Varsity scrapper... was the cleverest boxer of local amateurs." Trainer Jack Morgan "... has done good work with this youthful (20) college star." This for UBC was a first, a student who would win a Canadian Boxing Championship!
The Sun and Province continued to shower accolades on the new champion. "Young Mulhern has all the evidences of real class... Mulhern of UBC gave the crowd one of the cleverest boxing exhibitions seen in a local amateur ring in some time." April 23, 1926 is an important date in UBC history in that Mulhern's victory was in fact the first Canadian championship ever won by a UBC male athlete or team (UBC's Marjorie Leeming had won the Canadian women's singles tennis championship in 1925.)
In Mulhern's final year, 1926/27, he and Charlie Mottley again led Arts '27 to Arts '20 relay victory, the second for this team. At this "outstanding UBC interclass event of the year" downtown scribes reported, "Mulhern gave '27 a substantial margin and from this point on there was no change whatever in the standings of the teams." Mulhern, an 880 man, was also a factor on the UBC track team. According to coach Bob Granger "he runs smoothly and should be a real threat."
Mulhern graduated from UBC with an Arts degree in 1927 and after receiving a scholarship to attend Notre Dame, returned to B.C. to complete his law studies setting up his law practice in 1931. In 1939 he gave up his law practice to enlist in the Army where as a Major he continued the pursuit of physical excellence by teaching, training and preparing the army trainees. According to his daughter, he was so disciplined and driven that those trainees would have been very well prepared.
Following the war he restarted his law practice, Mulhern & Co. Ltd. and continued his life long quest to practice and advocate fitness and athletics.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
