Lawson Robertson
Lawson "Robbie" N. Robertson (September 23, 1883 – January 22, 1951) was considered one of the more accomplished American track coaches of the first half of the twentieth century. From 1904-1936, he was with the American team at every Olympics with the exception of 1916 when the Olympics were cancelled due to WWI. He coached Track and Field for the Irish-American Athletic Club in Queens, New York from 1909–16, and then for the University of Pennsylvania from 1916-47. He was U.S. Olympic Assistant Track coach in 1912 and 1920 and was head coach for the American Track and Field Team in four Olympics from 1924-36.
Robertson circa 1927 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | September 23, 1883 Aberdeen, Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 22, 1951 (aged 67) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Head Track Coach Irish-Amer. Club '09-16 U of Penn '16-47 US Olympics '24-36 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) (Olympics) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Mary Helen Teevan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 sons, 1 daughter | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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In his youth, he was an Olympic competitor in track and field in 1904 and 1908. At twenty-one, he won a bronze medal in the Standing high jump as a competitor with the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, and two years later won a Silver and a Bronze medal at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens. He also competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, but did not medal.