Burton Downing

With six medals at the 1904 Olympics, Burton Downing is surpassed by only three Americans for most medals at one celebration. Downing was from California and was not well-known by the Eastern riders; consequently he surprised a lot of people by beating out Teddy Billington race after race. The trip to St. Louis was part of a longer one which took Downing to the New York area where he settled. He joined up with a contracting firm, the Spearin Co., and by 1909, had become the president of that firm. He was later president of the New York Contracting Dock Builders Association. Downing’s brother, Hardy, was also a cyclist, though less well-known. But he became a famous boxing promoter, particularly known for promoting the fights of world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey.