Fletcher Gilders

Fletcher Gilders (1931-1999) was a Detroit native who won fame as a talented multi-sport athlete for the Colts of Northwestern High School. In 1948, as a 13-foot pole vaulter, Gilders was voted Michigan High School Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Later that summer, the versatile Gilders competed as a springboard diver at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Detroit. Fletcher Gilders was on his way to becoming one of the top all-around athletes in the United States.

Upon graduating from high school in 1949, Fletcher Gilders joined the U.S. Military; following four years of service to his country, Gilders enrolled at the Ohio State University. At OSU, Gilders won back-to-back (1954 & 1955) NCAA Championships in the one-meter springboard diving event. During each of his three seasons at OSU, Gilders led the Buckeyes to Big Ten and NCAA Swimming and Diving Team Championships. "Fletch" was also a member of the OSU track & field, gymnastics and soccer teams; Gilders won a total of 10 varsity letters as the first four-sport letterman in Ohio State's modern history.

Fletcher Gilders also enjoyed an outstanding career as a championship Swimming and Diving Coach for Ohio University and Kenyon College. Gilders guided the OU Bobcats from 1959 through 1984; winning five Mid-American Conference team titles along the way. At Kenyon, through the mid-1980s into the late 1990s, Gilders and his divers won 14 consecutive National Championships. Fletcher Gilders himself earned NCAA Division III Coach of the Year honors on three separate occasions.

Gilders is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at Ohio State, Ohio University, and Kenyon College - a truly remarkable accomplishment and fitting tribute to a legendary athlete and coach.

Noteworthy

Fletcher Gilders is the older brother of Barbara Gilders-Dudeck, a 1956 Olympic Games Finalist in the three-meter springboard diving event; Gilders-Dudeck finished a half-point away from the bronze medal.

Fletcher Gilders is also the father of Professor Roger Gilders, a notable collegiate track and field athlete during the late 1970s. Roger Gilders still holds the varsity record in the pole vault at his alma mater - and current place of employment - Ohio University.

Fletcher's grand daughter (Roger's niece), Calah Young (née Gilders) is the former school record holder in the pole vault at both Ohio University and Louisiana State University.

Sources

* [http://www.michtrack.org/AOY.htm Michigan High School Track and Field]
* [http://admin.xosn.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=925238 Ohio State University]
* [http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ohio/sports/c-track/auto_pdf/07MediaGuideRecords Ohio University]