George Young (swimmer)

George Young (3 March 1909 – 6 August 1972) was a Canadian marathon swimmer who on 15–16 January 1927 became the first swimmer to cross the channel between Catalina Island and the mainland of California. This took place during a contest called the Wrigley Ocean Marathon, sponsored by chewing gum and sports magnate William Wrigley, Jr. Young was the only person to complete the 35-kilometer (22 mi) swim, which took him 15 hours and 44 minutes. This feat earned him a prize of $25,000 and the nickname "The Catalina Kid". He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955[2] and into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014.[3]

George Young
William Wrigley, Jr. with George Young (right) after the 1927 Wrigley Ocean Marathon Swim
Personal information
Born3 March 1909[1]
Aberdeen, Scotland
Died6 August 1972 (age 63)[2]
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Sport
SportSwimming

Young retired from competitive swimming around 1931. He worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad until the death of his second wife in 1953, and then at the Parks Commission in Niagara Falls until his death in 1972.[2][4]

See also

References
  1. "1909 Young, George (Statutory Births 168/02 0466]". Ancestry.com.
  2. George Young. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
  3. George Young. ishof.org
  4. Mike Beggs. George Young. Collections Canada


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