It is with great sadness that we have been informed that Dave ‘Taffy’ Phillips passed away peacefully yesterday aged 82.
Dave was a Massey Ferguson club legend joining the Club in 1986.
He competed for the Club in the Birmingham Cross Country League, Midland Masters Cross Country Championships, Midland Road Relays, Midland Masters Road Relays, National Masters Road Relays, Midland Masters Athletics League, Warwickshire Cross Country Championships, Midland Cross Country Championships, National Cross Country Championships, and the East Midlands Grand Prix.
He loved running the length and breadth of the UK in road races. He ran in lots of local road races in Coventry and Warwickshire and his red and white vest was a familiar sight at road races with many competitors from local clubs recognising him. He completed 500 marathons and regularly ran in the London Marathon for the Brain and Spine Foundation Charity team raising £150,000 over the years.
He sponsored our Corporate Challenge 5k for several years.
He used to take club training on Wednesday nights for many years.
Dave was made a Life Member of MFRC in 2007.
In November 2021 Dave received his MBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle.
His passing is a great loss to our Club.
Our thoughts are with his wife, Robina, and all the family at this sad time.
RIP Dave.
Dave Phillips was an absolute legend and inspirational in everything he did.
I knew him originally as an Accountant , Charity fund raiser , Rugby Player, singer , gardener and a devoted family man .
He began running in the early 1980s marathon boom when his Rugby career was ending. We ran many marathons together around the U.k and abroad .. I always expected to see him at every marathon I attended for a chat and words of Wisdom. We ran his first Stratford Marathon together in 1983 and I went to watch him complete his last Stratford Marathon with his daughter just a few years ago, he was approaching his 500 full marathon.
There can only ever be one Dave Phillips, he will be missed by us all .