The Lou Marsh Trophy named after a former sports editor of the Toronto Star, is awarded annually to Canada's best athlete, as decided by a committee of Toronto sports writers. Louis Edwin Marsh died on 5 March 1936 after 43 years as a journalist, and was regarded as the dean of Canadian sports journalism. In his youth he was an excellent all-round athlete. He played on the Toronto Senior Argonaut football team and was a good sprinter and strong swimmer, being credited with some 15 rescues in the water. He raced iceboats and small speedboats, for which he coined the term "sea fleas," and was a highly regarded referee in boxing and ice hockey. His daily sports column in the Toronto Star from 1925 to 1936 was entitled "With Pick and Shovel," describing his tenacious ability to obtain an in-depth analysis of the sporting scene.

Made of black marble, the trophy stands about 75 cm high. The words "With Pick and Shovel" appear above the engraved names of the winners. Among the latter are Dr Phillip Edwards (first winner, 1937), Marilyn BELL and Petra BURKA. Recent winners include Russ JACKSON, Terry FOX, Wayne GRETZKY, and Donovan BAILEY. Jacques VILLENEUVE received the award in 1995 and 1997 for winning, respectively, the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula 1. The trophy is kept on exhibition at the Canada Sports Hall of Fame.