34 Facts About Wesley Coe

Between 1905 and 1907, Wesley Coe set world records in the 8-, 12-, and 16-pound shot put events.

Wesley Coe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1879 and raised in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Wesley Coe began his education in the Boston public schools and subsequently attended preparatory schools, including Noble and Greenough School in Boston.

In 1897, while attending Noble and Greenough, Wesley Coe was already competing in the shot put and recorded a distance of 35 feet, 7 inches.

In 1901, Wesley Coe enrolled at Hertford College at the University of Oxford.

Wesley Coe was the first American athlete to be awarded a "blue" after he led Oxford to victory over Cambridge University with wins in both the shot put and hammer throw.

Two months after the meet in Sommerville, Wesley Coe competed for the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis, Missouri.

At the 1904 Olympics, Rose set a new Olympic record on his first try with 14.35 metres only to be bettered by Wesley Coe who threw 14.40 metres on his first attempt.

Wesley Coe finished in second place for the silver medal, and a third American Lawrence Feuerbach took the bronze medal.

Wesley Coe fell short of the record on his first four throws.

Wesley Coe smiled at the encouraging remark of his famous rival, and then made steady for his final put.

Wesley Coe secured splendid altitude, and when it dropped beyond his previous mark, Rose exclaimed, 'You've got it, Coe, and I congratulate you.

Wesley Coe had previously been denied the record "because of the lack of competent officials," but his record put at Medford was measured and re-measured to ensure that the record would stand.

Christie says that young Wesley Coe is an 'athletic vagrant,' attending one university as long as he can and while his credit holds out, and then jumping to the next college where the 'inducements' suit him.

In March 1905, it was announced that Wesley Coe would attend the University of Michigan in the fall.

Wesley Coe did enroll at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1905.

In September 1905, The Boston Globe reported that Wesley Coe was considering an expansion of his athletic endeavors to include boxing.

In December 1905, Wesley Coe traveled to Portland, Oregon, to face Ralph Rose.

Wesley Coe broke the world record in the 16-pound shot put event with a throw of 49 feet, 6 inches.

Wesley Coe's throw exceeded the existing world record of 48 feet, 7 inches, by almost a foot.

Wesley Coe won the national collegiate championship in the shot put and finished second in the discus competition.

Wesley Coe's efforts helped the Michigan Wolverines men's track and field team to win its fourth consecutive national team championship.

Wesley Coe's throw hit the crossbeam on the ceiling of the armory 20 feet above the ground and still exceeded the existing world record by nearly five inches.

In March 1907, Wesley Coe topped his own world record in the eight-pound shot put event and broke the world record in the twelve-pound shot put.

In June 1908, Wesley Coe was selected to compete for the United States at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.

Wesley Coe competed in the tug of war for the United States team in London.

Wesley Coe later moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he was employed as a research chemist.

In 1918, Wesley Coe was living in Lexington, Massachusetts, with his wife, and he was a partner with his father in the dye manufacturing business.

At the time of the 1920 United States Census, Wesley Coe was living on Beacon Street in Boston with his wife, Evelyn, and their daughter, Jane.

Letters submitted in support of the application indicated that Wesley Coe was in business with his father and had successes in "inventing dyes and by-products from waste materials" and was required to travel to England to protect pending patent rights.

Wesley Coe continued to compete in occasional shot put competitions into his 30s.

In June 1926, Wesley Coe became ill and moved to Bozeman, Montana, upon advice from his physician.

Wesley Coe worked in the chemistry profession at Bozeman and died there from Hodgkin's disease at Deaconess Hospital on December 24,1926, at age 47.

Wesley Coe was survived by his wife and two children, who were then living at Bournemouth, England.