1991 Hall of Fame Inductee
Versatile in both his athletic and professional lives, Ellery Clark was a double gold medalist at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. At the Olympic revival in Athens, Clark won both the high jump and long jump. He is still the only person to ever win those events in the same Olympics. He never won a national championship in either jump, but he was the 1897 and 1903 AAU champion in the all-around, a forerunner of the decathlon. His performance in 1903 followed two years when he was forced from the sport by torn knee ligaments. At age 30, Clark made his second Olympic appearance at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, but bronchitis limited him to a sixth place finish in the all-around competition. A Harvard graduate, Clark was one of the nation's top all-around athletes from 1893 to 1912 and competed as a race walker until the age of 56. Clark's professional life was equally varied. He excelled as a lawyer, track coach, teacher, Boston city alderman and author of 19 books, including one that was made into a 1952 film, Caribbean.
1896 Olympics: High Jump (1st) 1896 Olympics: Long Jump (1st) 1904 Olympics: Decathlon (6th) 1897 AAU: Decathlon (1st) 1903 AAU: Decathlon (1st)
Author Attorney Coach Politician Teacher