Builder of athletic opportunity and tradition at UBC as Director of Men's Athletics for 27 years, helped redirect the athletic program to become one of the strongest in the country. One of the founders of both the modern Canada West conference and the CIAU (CIS), he raised the profile of Canadian university athletic directors.
Russell J. "Bus" Phillips was recruited by UBC Physical Education Director Bob Osborne in 1953 as UBC's new Director of Men's Athletics, where he would also teach at the School of Physical Education and Recreation. UBC Athletics would be under the guidance of the popular and respected Phillips for the next twenty-seven years - a longevity record for such a position that may never be surpassed.
Phillips was born in Alberta and educated in Vancouver, graduating from Vancouver’s Britannia High School where he was also an outstanding track man and rugby player.
"Bus", nicknamed "Buster" by his sister when he was four years old, served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1942 to 1946. From 1949 to 1953, prior to his joining UBC, he served as Director of the Pro-Rec program, the B.C. provincial government's department of physical fitness and recreation.
As UBC's Director of Men's Athletics, Phillips was also responsible for coaching and lecturing students on the finer points of track and field. However, it became apparent as his career evolved, that the increased success of UBC athletics was due in great part to both his and physical education's Bob Osborne's ability to push as hard as they could toward improving intercollegiate athletics on campus. Between them they re-directed the athletic program to become one of the strongest in the country.
Phillips facilitated this success by pursuing and developing new and more suitable sites and competitive leagues for many UBC sports. He also successfully lobbied the UBC administration for direct grant funding of the athletic program. These funds were and are a vital supplement to the student athletic fee. One will also notice that many of UBC's most competent and successful coaches were appointed during Phillips' time - full faculty appointments to the School of Physical Education and Recreation with coaching duties as part of the work load.
UBC also benefited from the support given by Phillips for a broad program of opportunity in athletics, enabling some former "minor" sports to become quite "major". In addition, his work in helping universities acquire and retain the Federal Travel Equalization Grant especially aided UBC, with its high transportation costs due to its geographic location.
Not only had he helped UBC move to the forefront of the Canadian intercollegiate athletic scene during these years, the man whose "personality was of a very high order" according to Bob Osborne, also played an integral role in shaping the administrative structure of university athletics in Canada. As Secretary-Treasurer of the Western Canadian Inter-athletic Association (WCIAA) and later the Canada West University Athletic Association (CWUAA), Phillips was, over the long term, the foundation of the CWUAA, the Conference in which UBC teams now compete. He also served as President of the CWUAA from 1978 to '80 and was a leader and organizer of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) as well, serving on its Board of Directors, its Administrative Committee and its Eligibility Committee.
Phillips also opened the door for Athletic Directors to be represented in executive positions at a national level. The emerging force of Canadian university Athletic Directors and their generally higher profile, was due to the work of Bus Phillips.
The success Phillips achieved in these areas was a result of his dependability and work ethic. "Bus wasn't just talk, he did what he said he would do, he was consistently reliable" reflected Bob Osborne.
After retiring as Director of UBC's Athletic program in 1980, Phillips agreed to take on the position of CWUAA Secretary-Treasurer once again. His intention was to do this for a couple of years however it became in fact, twelve!
Bus Phillips was the "kindest and most thoughtful man," in the eyes of his successor Bob Hindmarch. He was the "builder of builders and of athletic opportunity and tradition at UBC" according to his long-time work colleagues, Buzz Moore and Marilyn Pomfret. He was respected not only by those with whom he came in contact during his days on campus but also by those who did not know him as Athletic Director and who later became acquainted with him as a UBC "pioneer".
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
