Lee Orr
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Athletics | ||
| British Empire Games | ||
 |
1938 Sydney | 4×440 yards |
Lee Pearce Orr (April 12, 1917 – July 27, 2009) was a Canadian athlete who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
He was born in Saskatchewan, Canada and grew up in Monroe, Washington, United States. During high school, he participated in track and field events, as well as football and tennis. After high school, Orr ran for the Washington State University Cougars, where he was coached by Karl Schlademan.[1] He worked as a stock boy for $35 a month to get through school in the days before athletic scholarships. The six-foot, 175 pound freshman dazzled his coaches. He went on to eight Pacific Coast North Division titles and an NCAA championship in the 440-yard run. And he and his brother Jack ran with the Cougar relay team that set a world record in June, 1937. Orr was inducted into the Washington Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]
In 1936 at the Berlin Olympics, he finished fifth in the 200 metre event but equaled the world record during the quarterfinals.[1] He was also a member of the Canadian relay team which finished fifth in the Men's 4 x 100 metres relay. In the 100 metres contest he was eliminated in the first round.
At the 1938 Empire Games he won the gold medal with the Canadian team in the 4×440 yards relay event. In the 440-yard dash competition he was eliminated in the heats.[citation needed] Orr enlisted in the United States Army during World War II and worked for the Hormel Meat Company before retiring to Monroe.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Robertson, Nellie E. (April 3, 2008). "Orr, Lee (1917-2009)". HistoryLink. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Washington State". www.wscougars.com. 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
External links
[edit]- Lee Orr's profile at Sports Reference.com
- Biography of Lee Orr
- Lee Orr's obituary[permanent dead link]
- Lee Orr, WSU Great and Former Olympia Dies at 92
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- 1917 births
- 2009 deaths
- Canadian male sprinters
- Olympic track and field athletes for Canada
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
- Sportspeople from Saskatchewan
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1938 British Empire Games
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Washington State University alumni
- Washington State Cougars men's track and field athletes
- People from Monroe, Washington
- Sportspeople from Snohomish County, Washington
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games
- NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- 20th-century Canadian sportsmen
- Canadian track and field athletics biography stubs