Fred Tootell, la champion olympique du lancer du marteau, en 1924. Frederick Delmont Tootell (September 9, 1902 – September 29, 1964) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the hammer throw. He competed for the United States in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

held in Paris in the hammer throw where he won the gold medal. While participating the Olympics, Tootell was affiliated with the Boston Athletic Association. Tootell was born in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and Nort ...

and died in Wakefield, Rhode Island. Tootell graduated from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

in 1923, where he played American football as a tackle and competed as a hammer thrower, and enrolled at

Tufts University School of Medicine The Tufts University School of Medicine is the medical school of Tufts University, a Private university, private research university in Massachusetts. It was established in 1893 and is located on the university's health sciences campus in downto ...

to maintain his eligibility for the 1924 Olympics. After Irish-born athletes had won the gold in the hammer throw for the United States for five straight Olympics, Tootell became the first American-born athlete to do so. Beginning in 1925, he began a 39-year-long affiliation with the University of Rhode Island. He was professor of physical education, and coached the tennis, track, and cross country teams. Between 1953 and 1962, Tootell served as the university's athletic director. The school's Tootell Physical Education Center was named for him, and his home, the Tootell House, in Kingston, Rhode Island is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tootell was posthumously elected to the

Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965. Its mission statement states that the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame "exists to honor and recognize, and to extol and publicize the achievements of th ...

in 1968. He married Anne Parsons in 1926. After they divorced in 1935, Tootell married Lucy Rawlings Tootell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tootell, Fred 1902 births 1964 deaths People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island Sportspeople from Lawrence, Massachusetts Track and field athletes from Massachusetts Track and field athletes from Rhode Island American track and field coaches American male hammer throwers Male weight throwers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics College men's track and field athletes in the United States College track and field coaches in the United States Bowdoin Polar Bears football players Rhode Island Rams athletic directors Rhode Island Rams men's basketball coaches Bowdoin Polar Bears men's track and field athletes College tennis coaches in the United States College cross country coaches in the United States University of Rhode Island faculty