Images(3)

Sweatshirt

Object number2005.14.2

Date1924

MediumCotton; Ink

Credit LineGift of Alice Martin

DescriptionOff-white cotton sweatshirt with handwritten ink text overall including dedication, shield, and team member signatures.Dimensions24 in. (61 cm)
InscriptionsHandwritten text in ink "TO JOHN TAYLOR / MANAGER / OLYMPIC SWIMMERS / In Appreciation / PARIS - 1924".

Handwritten team member signatures in ink overall.
Historical NotesThis 1924 Summer Olympics (Games of the VIII Olympiad) sweatshirt belonged to John T. Taylor, who was a swimming coach for the United States team at the 1924 Paris Olympics and the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. This is part of a collection that documents the Taylor and Karcis families, especially their important contributions to the sport history of the region. James T. Taylor’s father was a world renowned English oarsman who settled in Pittsburgh, and his daughter, a swimmer herself, married the great Carnegie Tech football player Jack Karcis. Karcis played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Pittsburgh Steelers) then won a championship with the New York Giants. This collection documents three generations of contribution to sport history by this Pittsburgh family.Label TextThe son of a world champion rower, John T. Taylor came by his love of the water naturally. After a distinguished career as a swimmer, he took up coaching, eventually rising to the top of his profession. Taylor coached both the 1924 and 1928 U.S. Olympic swim teams, guiding champions such as Johnny Weismuller and Gertrude Eberle in their quest for gold. After the 1924 Olympics, the team presented Taylor with this sweatshirt – both Weismuller (who went on to fame playing the role of Tarzan) and Eberle, who later swam the English Channel, signed the shirt.

Previous owner John T. Taylor

Related person Lester E. Smith

Related person Charlotte Epstein

Previous owner Eleanor Coleman

Related person Ruth Thomas

Related person Johnny Weissmuller

Related person John Handy

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Related person Adam Smith

Related person Betty Becker

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