Douglas Edmunds

Dr. Douglas Morris Edmunds Ph.D. (29 May 1944 – 30 October 2020) was a Scottish Highland Games competitor and strongman. Known as the "Godfather of Strongman", he was a two-time world champion of the caber toss and co-founded and acted as referee for the World's Strongest Man competition.[1] He was also a co-founder of the International Federation of Strength Athletes and Highlander Challenge World Championships. He was the father of strongman Gregor Edmunds.

Dr. Douglas Edmunds
Edmunds in 2007
Born
Douglas Morris Edmunds

(1944-05-29)29 May 1944
Glasgow, Scotland
Died30 October 2020(2020-10-30) (aged 76)
Alma materUniversity of Strathclyde
Occupation(s)Businessman, metallurgy engineer
Known forStrongman, caber toss, shot and discus champion, referee of World's Strongest Man
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
TitleDr
Spouse(s)Moira Edmunds (divorced), Linda Edmunds (1992-2020)
Children3, including Gregor Edmunds
Relatives3 siblings

Early life

Edmunds was born on 29 May 1944 in Glasgow, Scotland, to John and Izabella Edmunds, and was named after Douglas Young. One of four children, he lived in the former Netherton army camp. He attended St. Colombia's RC prep school in Largs and St. Joseph's College, Dumfries, where he played rugby for the South of Scotland schools match against Wales and won titles in shot put and discus.[1] He attended Glasgow University before switching to the University of Strathclyde, where he gained a doctorate in metallurgy in 1969.[2] He worked in Zambia as a mining engineer for three years in the early 1970s before returning to Scotland. After his marriage to Moira Edmunds fell apart, he moved to Nigeria in 1980 and stayed there until 1982.

Edmunds worked at Drakemire Dairy Ltd, the family business, between 1982 and 2000, alongside his brother John and brother-in-law Kevin Connelly, eventually becoming the managing director.[3][1]

In 2013, Edmunds was diagnosed with cancer. He died on 30 October 2020.[1]

Strength sports

Edmunds started competing in strength sports professionally in 1975. He won the world caber tossing championships in 1976 and 1978.[2] In 1979, he was the only person capable of tossing the Braemar challenge caber.[4] He organised the World Highland Games Championships in Lagos, Nigeria in 1981.[4] In the 1970s he represented Zambia at the World Powerlifting Championships.[1]

Edmunds co-founded the World's Strongest Man competition in 1977 with David P. Webster and acted as the contest's referee, helping to televise strength sports as entertainment for audiences.[5][6] Between 1992 and 2004, he was the contest's head referee.[2] In 1995, he co-founded the International Federation of Strength Athletes,[2] serving as its president.[7] In 2007, Edmunds created the Goddodin Games in a bid to revive the Highland Games and strongman sports, which he felt had become tired.[8] He believed that the sports should be about engaging and entertaining crowds.[9]

Edmunds has written three books: The Warrior Breed, The World's Greatest Tosser, and Giants and Legends.

Family

His father, born John Morris, was part of a group of Scottish nationalists who plotted to steal the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey. He later changed his surname to Edmunds after being arrested for bigamy and to avoid charges of desertion from the army. Edmunds' paternal grandfather, also called John Morris, fought for money in fairground booths.[2]

He married Moira Edmunds (née Graham) in 1970,[10] with whom he had two children, and separated in the 1980s. In 1992 he married Linda Edmunds and had another child by her.[1]

Gregor Edmunds, his son by Moira, is a strength sports competitor, former Scotland's Strongest Man and Highland Games champion.[11]

References
  1. Davidson, Jack. "Obituary: Doug Edmunds, outstanding athlete who was world caber-tossing champion". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  2. Obituaries, Telegraph. "Doug Edmunds, world champion caber tosser, athlete, strongman and raconteur – obituary". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  3. "Drakemire Dairy targets long-life milk market". Herald Scotland. Herald and Times Group. Newsquest Media Group. 16 February 1995. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  4. Ann, Donaldson, Emily (31 March 1999). The Scottish Highland Games in America. Pelican Publishing. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-4556-1171-3. Retrieved 17 February 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Smith, David (6 November 2020). "David Smith: Godfather of Strongman will be sorely missed Douglas Edmunds". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. Heffman, Connor (28 November 2020). "The History of Strength Competitions — From 6000 B.C. to 2020". BarBend. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  7. Redjkins, Vladislavs (2019). "Ethnosport-strongmen discipline: alfa and omega of the world's strongmen movement" (PDF). International Journal of Ethnosport and Traditional Games. 1: 21. doi:10.34685/HI.2019.1.1.008. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  8. "Bring on the war games". Herald Scotland. 19 May 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  9. Strossen, Randal J. "Douglas Edmunds on the Highland(er) Games". ironmind.com. IronMind Enterprises.
  10. Edmunds, Douglas (2016). The World's Greatest Tosser: A Reminiscence of a Sporting Life. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-5398-7416-4.
  11. Meredith, Fionala (15 July 2009). "Strongmen know how to throw a party". The Irish Times. The Irish Times Trust CLG. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
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