James F. "Jumbo" Elliott (August 8, 1915 – March 22, 1981) was an American

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

coach, often considered to be one of the greatest of all time. His achievements include producing five

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

winners between 1956 and 1968. Elliott, a college track runner of short and middle distances, graduated from

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

in 1935 and returned to coach the track team in 1949 until his death in 1981. In that period, his teams won eight national collegiate team titles, while his athletes won 82

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

crowns and set 66 world records. He produced a total of 28 Olympic competitors, five of whom won gold medals: Ron Delany (1956, 1500 m), Charles Jenkins (1956, 400 m),

Don Bragg Donald George Bragg (May 15, 1935 – February 16, 2019) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault and won a gold medal in that event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

), Paul Drayton (1964, 4 × 100 m relay), and

Larry James George Lawrence "Larry" James (November 6, 1947 – November 6, 2008), also known as James Swift, was an American track athlete. At the 1968 Olympics he won a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay and a silver in the individual 400 m. Biography ...

(1968, 4 × 400 m relay). He was inducted into the

National Track and Field Hall of Fame National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

in 1981. Elliot had a

stammer Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized externally by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses called blocks in which the person who ...

. He died in 1981, and is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in West

Conshohocken, PA Conshohocken ( ; ) is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in recent years Conshohock ...

References

External links

USATF Hall of Fame Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Jumbo 1915 births 1981 deaths American track and field coaches Villanova Wildcats men's track and field athletes Villanova Wildcats track and field coaches

See also

References

External links