George Harris (judoka)
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States
| ||
| Men's judo | ||
| 1964 Olympics Finished Fourth[1] | ||
| Pan American Championships | ||
 | 1958 Pan American Judo Championships | Heavyweight[1] |
| 1963 Pan American Judo Championships | Heavyweight[1] |
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. He was a 9th dan in Judo. Harris began his judo career after 1952.[2]
He was a two-time gold medalist in the Pan American Games (1960 and 1963), four-time United States National Champion (1957, 1958, ...), and six time Air Force Champion.[2] He also trained at the Kodokan where he earned his blackbelt.[1][2]
Harris had a long involvement with military judo in the United States Air Force,[2] and later served as president of the United States Judo Association.
Harris starred in a feature film tiled "Judo's Gentle Tiger" and also known as "The Year of the Gentle Tiger". A forerunner to "The Karate Kid", it was shot in the late 1970s, and was later broadcast as a NBC daytime program. Harris also appeared on talk shows and was twice a guest on "To Tell the Truth".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 www.usja-judo.org
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ten Questions with George Harris - by Rebecca Barnett. Published in The Masters, Judo for Adults (2000)
Sources
- Nishioka, Hayward (2000) Judo: Heart and Soul Ohara Publications. ISBN 0-89750-137-3