George Harris (judoka)

George Lee Harris (January 15, 1933 – January 7, 2011) was a member of the first United States Olympic judo team. He was born in Kittrell, North Carolina.[2]

George Harris
Medal record
Men's judo
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1963 São Paulo Heavyweight[1]

He was a 10th dan in Judo. Harris began his judo career after 1952.[3] Harris while speaking at Jack Krystek's School of Judo stated he was initially a boxer before becoming a Judoka.[2] Harris was a gold medalist at the Pan American Games, four-time United States National Champion, and six time Air Force Champion.[3] He also trained at the Kodokan where he earned his blackbelt.[1][3]

Harris had a long involvement with military judo in the United States Air Force,[3] and later served as president of the United States Judo Association.

He starred in the late-1970s martial-arts film, "The Year of the Gentle Tiger", a forerunner to "The Karate Kid". He also appeared on talk shows and was twice a guest on "To Tell the Truth".

References

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  1. ^ a b "www.usja-judo.org" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-16. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
  2. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2015-12-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Ten Questions with George Harris Archived 2007-11-17 at the Wayback Machine - by Rebecca Barnett. Published in The Masters, Judo for Adults (2000)

Sources

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  • Nishioka, Hayward (2000) Judo: Heart and Soul Ohara Publications. ISBN 0-89750-137-3
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