Eldon Jenne

Eldon Irl Jenne (May 29, 1899 – February 4, 1993) was an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics and a high school athletic coach.

Athletic career

Jenne attended Washington High School in Portland, Oregon where he played football, baseball, and basketball.cite web|url=http://pilhalloffame.org/cybermuseum/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=294&osCsid=4127df4beac2a614eb21727791508bbf|title=PIL Hall of Fame Cyber Museum: Eldon Jenne|publisher=Portland Interscholastic Hall of Fame|date=October 2006|accessdate=2008-03-18] He later attended Washington State University, where he excelled in the pole vault. In 1920, he was a member of the United States track and field team at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, finishing seventh in the pole vault competition.

In 1921, Jenne tied for the individual pole vault championship at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He was Washington State's first Olympian and is a member of the Washington State University Sports Hall of Fame.cite news|title=Deaths deplete Northwest's sports heritage|work=The Oregonian|last=Pasero|first=George|date=March 28, 1993|page=D2]

Coaching career

Following the end of his athletic career, Jenne returned to Portland to coach football, basketball, baseball, and track at Washington High School. In 1928, he coached the boy's basketball team to the Oregon state championship, defeating future University of Oregon football coach Prink Callison's Medford High School team.cite web|url=http://www.osaa.org/basketball/records/boyschamps.pdf|title=OSAA Boy's Basketball Championships|accessdate=2008-03-18|publisher=Oregon School Activities Association] Jenne's football teams amassed an overall 61-16-14 record with seven Portland city championships, one state championship, with only one losing season.

Jenne also served as head football and basketball coach at Pacific University.cite web|url=http://goboxers.com/mbx/mens-basketball-media-guide.pdf|title=Pacific University Men's Basketball 2007-08 Media Guide|page=p. 27|accessdate=2008-03-18] He led the Portland Interscholastic League's athletic program from 1938 until his retirement in 1965. In 1983, he was named to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements in coaching.cite web|url=http://www.oregonsportshall.com/inductee/roll/coaching.htm|title=Inductees: Coaching|accessdate=2008-03-18|publisher=Oregon Sports Hall of Fame]

Jenne died in La Jolla, California in 1993.

References

External links

* [http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/ath07usm.html List of American track and field athletes]