Shortly after George O’Day a former Harvard football player, had won the U.S. Olympic 5.5m Trials with Wistful the boat was badly damaged in a collision with a runaway cruiser O’Day then purchased Minotaur which, coincidentally had been designed by the father of his crew member, Jim Hunt. Despite this setback, O’Day won the Olympic title by a comfortable margin. O’Day was one of the greatest of American sailors. He also won a Pan American Games gold medal in 1959 (5.5 metres class with Victor Sheronas and Frank Scully) and 12 World Championships in various classes. In 1960 he was given the Nathaniel G. Herreshoff trophy for his contributions to the sport of sailing during the past year. Two years later he donated the George O’Day Trophy to the North American Yacht Racing Union, to be given each year to the North American Single-Handed Champion.
United States