Ewry, Raymond C.
Track and field
b. Oct. 14, 1873, Lafayette, IN
d. Sept. 29, 1937
Confined to a wheelchair by polio when he was a boy, Ewry exercised his legs until he could walk, then began jumping to increase their strength. He became the greatest competitor ever in the standing jumps, which were discontinued in 1913.
In 1890, Ewry entered Purdue University, where he played football and captained the track team. After receiving a graduate degree in engineering, he went to New York and joined the New York Athletic Club.
Ewry won a record ten Olympic gold medals, in the standing high jump and standing long jump in 1900, 1904, 1906, and 1908, and in the standing triple jump in 1900 and 1904, after which the event was dropped from the Olympic program. Three of the gold medals came on a single day, July 16, 1900. He also won 15 AAU national championships from 1898 through 1910.