Ward Edmonds

Edmonds was born in San Diego, California on July 3, 1908, the son of Warner Edmonds, a wealthy banker,{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/utah/ogden/ogden-standard-examiner/1928/04-29/page-12 |title=Not Pampered Sons of the Rich |newspaper=Ogden Standard-Examiner |date=April 29, 1928 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}} and Martha Edmonds (née Ward).{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wH1MAAAAMAAJ |page=909 |title=General register of the members of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, 1850-1930 |author1=Phi Kappa Sigma |author-link=Phi Kappa Sigma |author2=Pilgram, Robert James |year=1930 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}} He attended Stanford University, where he was coached by Dink Templeton.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19290402&id=jgodAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-UoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3867,692768 |title=Stanford Pole Vaulter Turning To Hurdle Races |author=Matherne, Bob |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |date=April 2, 1929 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}} At the 1927 IC4A championships he cleared 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m), placing third as Stanford won the team title; Yale's Sabin Carr broke the world record and became the first man to vault 14 ft (4.26 m), while 1924 Olympic champion Lee Barnes cleared 13 ft {{frac|9|1|2}} in (4.20 m) for second.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/connecticut/bridgeport/bridgeport-telegram/1927/05-31/page-17 |newspaper=Bridgeport Telegram |date=May 31, 1927 |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |title=Sport Slants |author=Gould, Alan J.}}{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/abilene/abilene-morning-reporter-news/1927/05-29/page-2 |newspaper=Abilene Morning Reporter-News |date=May 29, 1927 |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |title=Leland Stanford Athletes Cop National Track Honors}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19270530&id=Nq0gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fGkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4948,4821078 |title=National Track |newspaper=Lewiston Daily Sun |date=May 30, 1927 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}} The following week Edmonds placed second to Barnes at the Pacific Coast Conference championships, helping Stanford beat Barnes's University of Southern California for that team title by two points.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/montana/billings/billings-gazette/1927/06-05/page-10 |newspaper=Billings Gazette |date=June 5, 1927 |accessdate=April 23, 2014 |title=Stanford Cops Coast Crown In Field Events}}

At the 1928 West Coast Relays in Fresno Barnes and Edmonds became the second and third vaulters in the world to clear 14 ft (4.26 m), equaling Carr's outdoor world record.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/oakland/oakland-tribune/1928/04-29/page-67 |title=Lee Barnes and John Kuck Break Vault and Shot Marks |date=April 29, 1928 |newspaper=Oakland Tribune |accessdate=April 24, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.polevaultcanada.ca/forum/records/14foot.txt |author=Dumas, Gerard |publisher=Pole Vault Canada |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |title=14-Foot Era (4.26,7m)}} Barnes then cleared the next height, 14 ft {{frac|1|3|4}} in (4.31 m), on his third and final attempt to break the record; Edmonds also had good attempts at the record height, but was not successful. There were originally some doubts about the legitimacy of these marks; Barnes's jump (revised down to 14 ft {{frac|1|1|2}} in / 4.30 m) was rejected as a record in 1928 because the pegs had been the wrong length,{{cite news |url=http://cdsun.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/cornell?a=d&d=CDS19281120.2.34&e=--------20--1-----all----# |title=Barnes' Vault Refused |author=Vosburgh, F.G. |newspaper=The Cornell Daily Sun |date=November 20, 1928 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}} but in 1929 it was officially approved.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/moberly-monitor-index/1929-11-18/ |author=Gould, Alan J. |newspaper=Moberly Monitor-Index |date=November 18, 1929 |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |title=Several Records Approved At Meet}}

Edmonds won the 1928 NCAA championship, jumping a meeting record 13 ft {{frac|6|1|2}} in (4.13 m) and defeating the previous year's champion, Northwestern's Bill Droegemueller.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/ncaa_history_pdfs/ncaampv.pdf |title=A History of the NCAA Championships |author=Hill, E. Garry |magazine=Track & Field News |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |archive-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416135945/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/ncaa_history_pdfs/ncaampv.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/athens-messenger/1928-06-10/page-9 |publisher=Athens Messenger |title=Stanford Supreme in N.C.A.A. Meet |date=June 10, 1928 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}} He was heavily favored to qualify for the American Olympic team,{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/west-virginia/charleston/charleston-daily-mail/1928/06-08/page-17 |newspaper=Charleston Daily Mail |title=Big Four Is Picked in Olympic Vault |date=June 8, 1928 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/1151 |format=PDF |title=The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field |author=Hymans, Richard |publisher=USA Track & Field; Track & Field News |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524031759/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/1151 |url-status=dead }} but at the Olympic Trials in Cambridge he failed to clear 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) and the four Olympic spots went to Carr, Barnes, Droegemueller and Charles McGinnis.

In 1929, his final year at Stanford, Edmonds shared first place at the IC4A championships, clearing 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m).{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/nevada/reno/reno-evening-gazette/1929/06-07/page-11 |newspaper=Reno Evening Gazette |title=Collegiate Records Fell For Them |date=June 7, 1929 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/ic4a.htm |title=IC4A Championships (1876-1942) |author=Squire, Jesse |magazine=Athletics Weekly |accessdate=April 24, 2014}} He also repeated as NCAA champion, improving his own meeting record to 13 ft {{frac|8|7|8}} in (4.18 m) and sharing first place with Tom Warne.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/kokomo/kokomo-tribune/1929/06-10/page-12 |newspaper=Kokomo Tribune |title=Simpson Sets New World Mark In Century Dash |date=June 10, 1929 |accessdate=April 24, 2014}}

In addition to pole vaulting, Edmonds took up the hurdles in 1929, defeating his Stanford teammate and 1928 IC4A hurdles champion Ross Nichols in several trial races. He was also captain of the Stanford golf team.{{cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Amsterdam%20NY%20Daily%20Democrat%20and%20Recorder/Amsterdam%20NY%20Daily%20Democrat%20and%20Recorder%201928%20Apr-Jul%20Grayscale/Amsterdam%20NY%20Daily%20Democrat%20and%20Recorder%201928%20Apr-Jul%20Grayscale%20-%200313.pdf |title=Sport Slants |author=Gould, Alan J. |date=May 16, 1928 |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |publisher=Amsterdam Evening Recorder}} After graduating Edmonds started working for the Bank of Italy while continuing his athletic career,{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/berkeley-daily-gazette/1930-05-26/page-9 |newspaper=Berkeley Daily Gazette |date=May 26, 1930 |accessdate=April 24, 2014 |title=Sweet, Edmonds Star in S.F. Track Meet}} but he contracted polio and died in the Stanford University Hospital in San Francisco on October 26, 1930, aged 22.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/nevada/reno/nevada-state-journal/1930/10-27/page-5 |title=Ex-College Star Dies |date=October 27, 1930 |accessdate=April 23, 2014 |newspaper=Nevada State Journal}}{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune/1930-10-27/page-12 |title=Stanford Athlete Dies Of Infantile Paralysis |date=October 27, 1930 |accessdate=April 23, 2014 |newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune}}{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-daily-chronicle/1930/10-27/page-8 |newspaper=Centralia Daily Chronicle |date=October 27, 1930 |accessdate=April 23, 2014 |title=Athlete Dies}}

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Category:1908 births

Category:1930 deaths

Category:American male pole vaulters

Category:American male hurdlers

Category:Track and field athletes from San Diego

Category:Stanford Cardinal men's track and field athletes

Category:Deaths from polio

Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners

Category:Stanford Cardinal men's golfers