Ed Eliason

Ed Eliason grew up near the Puget Sound in Washington State, and played football and basketball in high school, as well as playing the trumpet in the school band. He attended Western Washington University on a music scholarship, studying to become a music teacher. In 1961, however, Eliason joined the US Army and the elite Green Berets, serving in Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star.

In 1965, Eliason left the military and returned to Washington, where he picked up a hobby that had once intererested him, archery. It became more than a hobby, as Eliason became one of the best archers in the world. In addition to his 1972 Olympic appearance he competed at the 1983, 1991, and 1995 Pan American Games, winning 10 medals, including 6 golds. In 1983 Eliason began working with Easton Technical Products, which manufactures archery and other sporting equipment. He worked for Easton for 23 years before retiring in 2006, and also coached archers. Settling with his wife in New Harmony, Utah, he continued to promote archery by establishing programs at local high schools, at Southern Utah University, and getting it on the program of the Huntsman World Senior Games.