Owen Edwards Obituary

Tuesday 11 April 2023

The late D. J. Owen Edwards

Clive Williams reviews Owen’s lifetime in athletics

With the death of Owen Edwards aged 82 on April 6th, the sport of athletics has lost one of its leading administrators.

I recently produced a booklet covering the period in the early 1970s when Cardiff were effectively Britain’s top track and field club and Owen was mentioned 33 times - more than anyone else. Such was the effect he had on Cardiff AACs British league team as team manager when they took the league title for three successive years between 1972 and 1974.

There is no doubt that without his coaxing, cajoling and general all-round management skill, the club would not have achieved those successes which included the team being the first British club to appear in the European Clubs’ Championships in Belgium in 1975.

Cardiff AAC were so strong in the 1970s that even 1964 Olympic long jump champion Lynn Davies was not guaranteed a place in the team. When I was writing the afore mentioned book Owen recalled that Lynn had not been selected for one crucial match in Brighton, but he called him a few days before the match to see if he could be fitted in. Owen’s reply was to the effect that he would see what he could do!

On another occasion Owen discovered that an inter-services match clashed with a league fixture. This meant that quite a number of Cardiff’s RAF based team would not be available.

But the irrepressible Owen, using his impeccable negotiating skills (Owen called it gentle persuasion) called the inter-services team manager and managed to get the release of several of their athletes. No one else would have had the confidence - and cheek - to do that.

Also on another occasion, only Owen would be able to persuade team captain and former British decathlon champion 42 year old Hywel Williams to compete in the pole vault after Welsh record holder Dave Lease was unable to vault due to the condition of the landing bed.

Owen had been a member of Birchgrove Harriers since their formation in 1951. He was one of the prime movers of the formation of Cardiff AAC in 1968 by the amalgamation of the two Cardiff clubs, Birchgrove and Roath Harriers. So as a life member of the club, now called Cardiff Athletics, he had been a member for almost 72 years which is a remarkable achievement.

Owen had many other athletics interests including being an accomplished coach and undertaking numerous other roles and tasks within the sport.

Former AAA junior champion and British Olympic coach Adrian Thomas on hearing the news of his death said he will always be grateful to Owen for his patience warmth and fellowship. He said: “Owen was not only my coach, but also a dear lifelong friend.” Adrian continued: “He took a young naive 16 year old from Bridgend YMCA  to being a British junior champion and Olympic coach.

Another to pay tribute was Lynn Davies who said that Owen was an outstanding team manager undertaking a difficult job with a smile and great sense of humour.

Owen continued in several capacities after standing down as league team manager including setting up the British league drug testing system and was meeting director for all televised international matches from 1975 to 1996. But, as he said to me a few years ago, doing this was a doddle compared to managing the club team during their glory years!

He also undertook numerous roles within the Welsh AAA - one of the predecessors of Welsh Athletics - including organiser of the first indoor athletics meetings and Welsh indoor championships held at RAF St Athan.

Richard Gyles, one of the stars of the Cardiff team during their British League treble win summed-up Owen’s contribution: “The role of an athletics club team manager is not an easy one and most of us appreciated that. Through all of his personal qualities Owen brought us together - literally (no mean feat when half your team is spread across the country) but also collectively and motivationally. We also did it for Owen. It is straightforward to go through the statistics and attribute success to the people who accumulated the points but that alone would miss the importance of the role Owen played at that time. The club's history owes a huge debt to Owen Edwards."

With condolences to Wendy and children Cath, Neil and Rachael and their families.