Desjardins, "Pete" (Ulise J.)
Diving
b. April 10, 1907, St. Pierre, Manitoba
d. May 6, 1985
Desjardins grew up in Florida, where he began diving when he was thirteen. Only 5-foot-3, Desjardins was nicknamed the "Little Bronze Statue" by the press because of his stature and year-around Florida suntan.
A silver medalist in the 1924 Olympic springboard event, Desjardins was the national outdoor 3-meter and platform champion from 1925 through 1927, and he won the indoor 3-meter title in 1927 and 1928.
In the 1928 Olympics, Desjardins won both the springboard the platform gold medals, the only diver to achieve that double victory until Greg Louganis in 1984. The platform event was held for the first time that year, and the outcome was controversial. Farid Samaiki of Egypt led on points and was proclaimed the winner at first. However, the judges then ruled that ordinals, not total points, should be the deciding factor, and Desjardins was awarded the gold medal.
He enrolled at Stanford University in 1927, but never won a collegiate championship, mainly because the AAU suspended him in 1929 for accepting too much expense money for an exhibition. He formally turned professional in 1931 and gave many exhibitions around the world, often with swimmer Johnny Weismuller.