Introduction of Dr. Basil Ince, presented by Heather Sibbison, Class of 1983, member of the Tufts Athletics Board of Advisors, former standout student-athlete at Tufts

After reviewing our next inductee’s bio and list of accomplishments, I was awestruck. Not only was he a track & field champion for his university and his country while at Tufts, but after leaving Tufts, he achieved tremendous success as a diplomat, a government senator, an ambassador, a professor, an author, and a minister of foreign affairs and sport for his country. 

Our next inductee is Dr. Basil Ince, and he is Jumbo royalty. Now 91 years old, we are THRILLED that Basil came up from Philadelphia to be here with us tonight and take his place in the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame.

A native of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Basil was a record-breaking runner at Queens Royal College where he was discovered by Coach Ding Dussault. Basil came to Tufts in 1956 when there weren’t many international students on our campus, and once he arrived, it quickly became apparent that Basil would continue the tradition of Tufts track & field greats. 

Basil qualified for the national championships in the quarter-mile in his first year at Tufts. In 1958, Basil was the champion of the 100, the 200 and the 440-yard dashes at the Eastern Intercollegiate Championships. And during his senior year in 1959, Basil took it to another level. In that season, Basil was undefeated in dual meets – he won every race he entered in the 600 indoors and in the 100, 220 and 440 outdoors. Most memorably, he broke the IC4A's 37-year old record in the 440 with a winning time of 46.9 seconds. In recognition for all his great successes on the track, Basil was voted the Pop Houston Award recipient as Tufts’ Best Male Athlete. 

While a student at Tufts, Basil also found time to represent his country at the 1958 British Empire & Commonwealth Games in the 220, the 440, and the 440 relay. The following year - not long after graduating from Tufts - Basil represented the British West Indies at the 1959 Pan American Games, participating in the 200 meters, 400 meters, and 4x400 meters relay. He won a gold medal in the 400 relay at those Pan-Am Games, and he also took home a silver medal in the individual 400. 

Coach Dussault proclaimed to the Boston newspapers that Basil had the potential to win an Olympic title at the 1960 games in Rome. But unfortunately, Basil’s chance for an Olympic medal did not materialize as an illness forced him out of the 1960 Games.

Notwithstanding that setback, Basil would continue make his mark on his sport and his country for years to come. After studying History and Political Science at Tufts, Basil earned a Masters and a PhD at New York University in the 1960s. Basil was a professor of international relations, he worked in diplomatic service for his country at the Ministry of External Affairs, he worked for two years at the United Nations, and he helped his country become a member of the UN Security Council. 

Throughout his professional life, Basil remained passionate about track and field and the positive role that sport can play in life. In 1976, Basil was elected President of the National Association of Amateur Athletes of Trinidad & Tobago. In that same year, Basil also served as the Manager of the Trinidad & Tobago Track Team for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal where Hasely Crawford won the country's first-ever gold medal in the 100-meter race. Although Basil missed out on the chance to achieve his own Olympic dream, he took great pride in helping Crawford deliver this historic moment for his country. 

In 1985, Trinidad and Tobago acknowledged Basil’s incredible contributions to sport when they appointed him as Minister of Sport, Culture and Youth Affairs. 

And now, in 2024, Tufts Athletics is also excited to acknowledge and celebrate Basil’s wonderful contributions to Tufts, his sport, and his country over seven decades since he first arrived in Medford. 

It is my distinct honor to welcome the amazing Basil Ince into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame.