Joseph George Harris Wright Jr. (March 28, 1906 – June 7, 1981) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who competed in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

and in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955. Joe Wright Jr,. and his father, Joe Wright Sr., are among the most decorated and celebrated members of the

Argonaut Rowing Club The Argonaut Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club was founded in 1872. The current junior head coach is Connor Elsdon. In the past, the club fielded teams in ice hockey and football, and the football team c ...

all time. In 1928 he became Canadian (CAAO) and US (NAAO) single sculls champion and only the second Canadian to win the coveted

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

at the Annual

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

. He won the Olympic silver medal with his partner Jack Guest in the

double scull A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly s ...

s competition. He also competed in the single sculls event and finished fifth after being eliminated in the quarter-finals. Four years later he was the only rower who did not reach the final in the single sculls competition. His athletic career included playing football for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

football club (founded in 1873 by the Argonaut Rowing Club), he played center (snap) from 1924 to 1936 and won the Grey Cup in 1933. He was coached by his father Joseph Wright Sr., who won a silver medal at the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...

as a member of a Canadian eights crew.

References

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Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Entry
1906 births 1981 deaths Canadian male rowers Olympic rowers for Canada Olympic silver medalists for Canada Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1928 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in rowing Rowers from Toronto {{Canada-Olympic-medalist-stub