Walter Renwick Knox (1878 – March 3, 1951) was a Canadian track and field athlete. Born in

Listowel, Ontario Listowel is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada, located in the Municipality of North Perth. Incorporated as the Town of Listowel in 1875, it was dissolved in 1998 following amalgamation with several other communities in the northe ...

, Knox moved to

Orillia, Ontario Orillia () is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a sin ...

at the age of 15. In 1903, he attended

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1846 when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It has an enrollment of roughly 1,000 undergradua ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. At the 1907 Canadian track championships, Knox won five national titles: 100 yards, pole vault, long jump, discus, and shot put. He toured the United States in 1908 and 1909 and competed in England and Scotland in 1911 and 1913. At his peak he was considered by many to be the finest all-round athlete in the world. In August or September 1909 he challenged World Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson to a sprint, for a cash prize of $1,000. Despite Johnson's willingness the challenge never came off. In 1912, he competed for the all-round professional championship against American John A. MacDonald, with Knox winning seven of the 10 events and the world title. He won the all-round world title again in 1914, defeating F.R. Cramb of Scotland in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

by winning six of eight events. Knox coached the Canadian track and field team at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and later became a travelling coach for the Ontario Athletic Commission and a coach at Queen's University. He was also hired to coach the British team at the

1916 Summer Olympics The 1916 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der VI. Olympiade''), were scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany. However, they were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I, the first tim ...

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, but this never came to fruition due to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Whilst competing, and then coaching, he invested heavily in a silver mine, mainly worked by his brother Jack. This venture proffered great success. He died in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

at age 73 after suffering a stroke. He was buried in Wellington, Ontario.Town, David F., (2014), Hot Foot - Walter Knox's Remarkable Life as a Professional in an Amateur World, FriesenPress He was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

, the

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is an honour roll of the top Canadian Olympic athletes, teams, coaches, and builders (officials, administrators, and volunteers). It was established in 1949. Selections are made by a committee appointed by the Cana ...

in 1960, and the Orillia Hall of Fame in 1966.

References

Orillia Hall of Fame profile
1878 births 1952 deaths Canadian male pole vaulters Canadian male shot putters Canadian male discus throwers Beloit College alumni Sportspeople from Perth County, Ontario Track and field athletes from Ontario Olympic coaches Canadian track and field coaches {{Canada-athletics-bio-stub