Canada's first Olympic gold medallist couldn't walk until he was ten, and became the greatest runner of his generation.
Who was the first Canadian to Win an Olympic Gold Medal? When Mark Hebscher was asked this simple trivia question, he had no idea that it would lead him on a two year odyssey, researching a man he had never heard of.
Paralyzed as a child and told he would never walk again, George Washington Orton persevered, eventually becoming the greatest distance runner of his generation, a world-class hockey player, and a brilliant scholar. A sports pioneer, Orton came up with the idea of numbered football jerseys and introduced ice hockey to Philadelphia. Orton's 1900 Paris Olympic medals were credited to the United States for seven decades before the mistake was uncovered and rectified. Yet he is virtually unknown in Canada. Finally, his story is being told.
Who was the first Canadian to Win an Olympic Gold Medal? When Mark Hebscher was asked this simple trivia question, he had no idea that it would lead him on a two year odyssey, researching a man he had never heard of.
Paralyzed as a child and told he would never walk again, George Washington Orton persevered, eventually becoming the greatest distance runner of his generation, a world-class hockey player, and a brilliant scholar. A sports pioneer, Orton came up with the idea of numbered football jerseys and introduced ice hockey to Philadelphia. Orton's 1900 Paris Olympic medals were credited to the United States for seven decades before the mistake was uncovered and rectified. Yet he is virtually unknown in Canada. Finally, his story is being told.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Date published
- 2019.
- Description conventions
- rda
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 796.42/6092
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 23
- Distributor
- Canadian Electronic Library (Firm),
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 1459743350 9781459743366
- LCCN
- GV1061.15 O78
- LCCN Item number
- H47 2019eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- YDX
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (246 pages)
- Published in
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)kck00239599 (OCoLC)1099530514 (CaOOCEL)479683
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- YDX
Table of Contents
- CONTENTS 7
- FOREWORD 9
- Introduction 11
- 1 - THE BIGGEST RACE OF HIS LIFE 13
- 2 - THE DOCUMENTARY 28
- 3 THE BOY WHO NEVER WALKED 39
- 4 A DIRTY PRO 55
- 5 YOUR HUMBLE NARRATOR 66
- 6 PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM 72
- 7 THE FATHER OF PHILLY HOCKEY 84
- 8 FAMILY LIFE 100
- 9 AUTHOR, AUTHOR 108
- 10 - NORTH AMERICA’S ATHLETIC MISSIONARIES 120
- 11 - BONJOUR, PARIS! 125
- 12 - HEAVY MEDALS 141
- 13 “MAKING GOOD BOYS BETTER” 146
- 14 - THE PHILLY HALL OF FAME 155
- 15 A SAN FRANCISCO TREAT 163
- 16 - LIFE IS A (RELAY) CARNIVAL 171
- 17 - THE INNOVATOR 179
- 18 A TREASURE TROVE 183
- 19 “HOWDY, PARTNER” 195
- 20 THE FOURTH ESTATE 203
- 21 “WE’LL FIX IT IN POST” 207
- 22 THE LAST MILE 212
- EPILOGUE 216
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 217
- Appendix 219
- NOTES 221
- BIBLIOGRAPHY 230
- IMAGE CREDITS 235
- INDEX 236
- Book Credits 250
