The greatest athlete (you've never heard of) : Canada's first Olympic gold medallist /
Mark Hebscher ; foreword by Ron MacLean.
- Toronto : Dundurn, (c)2019.
- 1 online resource
Includes bibliographies and index.
Intro; CONTENTS; FOREWORD; Introduction; 1 -- THE BIGGEST RACE OF HIS LIFE; 2 -- THE DOCUMENTARY; 3 THE BOY WHO NEVER WALKED; 4 A DIRTY PRO; 5 YOUR HUMBLE NARRATOR; 6 PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM; 7 THE FATHER OF PHILLY HOCKEY; 8 FAMILY LIFE; 9 AUTHOR, AUTHOR; 10 -- NORTH AMERICA'S ATHLETIC MISSIONARIES; 11 -- BONJOUR, PARIS!; 12 -- HEAVY MEDALS; 13 "MAKING GOOD BOYS BETTER"; 14 -- THE PHILLY HALL OF FAME; 15 A SAN FRANCISCO TREAT; 16 -- LIFE IS A (RELAY) CARNIVAL; 17 -- THE INNOVATOR; 18 A TREASURE TROVE; 19 "HOWDY, PARTNER"; 20 THE FOURTH ESTATE; 21 "WE'LL FIX IT IN POST"; 22 THE LAST MILE; EPILOGUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSAppendix; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; IMAGE CREDITS; INDEX; Book Credits
"Paralyzed as a child, George Washington Orton eventually recovered, and never slowed down again, winning Canada's first gold medal in the 2,500-metre steeplechase at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Beyond that, he was a teacher, coach, author, and member of the American Academy of Poets. A brilliant scholar, he could understand twelve languages and was fluent in nine. Orton was a sports pioneer in other ways, introducing the idea of numbered football jerseys, and bringing hockey to Philadelphia, where he formed the first league and built the first indoor arena. Orton is enshrined in seven Halls of Fame - all of them posthumously."--