Friend, Hugo

Hugo Morris Friend

Sport:
track and field

Country Represented:
United States

Years Competed:
1906

Medals Received:
bronze

Olympic Info:
Friend competed at the 1906 Olympics. Hosted by Athens, these unofficial Games were held to re-energize the Olympic movement, which had been troubled by poor attendance at the 1900 and 1904 Games. Hugo won the bronze medal in the long jump (Myer Prinstein won the gold), and placed fourth in the 110-meter high hurdles.

Following an outstanding track career, Friend became a lawyer and judge; he was the presiding judge at the trial of eight Chicago White Sox players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series (known as the Black Sox scandal).

Career Highlights:
Brought to the United States at the age of two, Friend's family settled in Kansas before moving to Chicago when he was eight years old. After beginning his track career in high school, Friend had an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Chicago, attending the school because the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg coached there. In 1905, as a senior, Hugo captained the first Chicago team to capture the Big Ten Championship (then known as the Western Conference); Friend won the conference long jump for the second consecutive year at the championships with a leap of 7.03 meters (23'0-3/4"), setting the conference record.

A few weeks later, Friend won both the high hurdles and long jump at the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) National Championships. Following his graduation, Friend joined the Chicago AA and continued to compete, making the U.S. team for the 1906 Olympics. Although those Games were unofficial, they marked the first time an official U.S. team was picked by the USOC.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. July 21, 1882 - d. April 15, 1966

Origin:
Prague, Czech Republic

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