George Queyrouze
New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame

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Track & Field, 1898-1910
Jesuit High School/1906 Olympics

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Inducted: 1979

Queyrouze was a standout athlete at Jesuit High School who then began competing for the New Orleans YMCA. In the fall of 1905, he matched the world record in the 100-yard dash at the AAU Championships in Birmingham with a time of 9.8 seconds. That time led to him being selected to represent the United States in the 1906 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the only Southern athlete selected for the team.
 
Many picked Queyrouze as the favorite in the 100-meter dash and a contender in the 200-yard dash, however, many members of the American team suffered injuries during a severe Atlantic storm on board the Barbarosa, the ship taking the team to Greece – Queyrouze sprained a tendon in his left foot, which severely limited him in the Olympic race. The winning time in Athens was 11.12 seconds, a time he had matched during a pre-Olympic race at the Fairgrounds.
 
Queyrouze had first distinguished himself in indoor athletics at the New Orleans YMCA in the summer of 1904, where he officially established a national record in the 25-yard dash (3.12 seconds) and broke the Southwestern record for the shot put. He was presented with the J. Han Heyers solid silver trophy for the best record in all-around indoor athletics.
 
In the spring of 1905, he made his outdoor debut at the YMCA-Tulane meet and he won both the 100-yard and 200-yard dashes – his 100-yard time was the best in New Orleans history.
 
Then in October of 1905, he went to Birmingham for the AAU games and matched the world record in the 100-yard dash, won the 220-yard dash and the shot put, and placed second in the standing broad jump.
 
He won the 100-yard dash at the Southern AAU Championships three separate times. He also managed to turn the feat of winning the 100-yard, the 220-yard, and the 440-yard dashes multiple times on the same day.
 
His best times were 9.8 (100 yards), 10.4 (110 yards), 22 flat (220 yards), and 50 flat (440 yards).
 
Queyrouze was born in 1882 and died in 1934 at the age of 52. After his competitive career, he spent many years as a starter in area track meets.