Ed Wild entered the University of British Columbia in 1954 and immediately joined the school’s basketball team. He distinguished himself as a guard during his career there and, in 1958, was named the instition’s athlete of the year. During that time he represented Canada at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where the nation won its game against Singapore in the round-robin pool, but lost against France and the upcoming silver medlaists of the Soviet Union. In the classification rounds, they won their next four matches against Japan (twice), Korea, and Australia to place ninth overall; Wild played in every game except the first one against Japan. After his graduation, he again represented Canada at the 1959 FIBA World Championships, where Canada placed 12th overall in a field of 13 squads. Wild married Australian fencer Denise O’Brien, who he met at the 1956 Games.