Wesley William Coe Jr. (May 8, 1879 – December 24, 1926), sometimes listed as William Wesley Coe Jr., was an American track and field athlete who competed principally in the shot put and also in the hammer throw, discus throw, and tug of war. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Coe competed for the University of Oxford and became the shot put champion of England in 1901 and 1902. He was also the first American athlete to be awarded a "blue." He returned to the United States in 1902 and won the silver medal in the shot put at the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St. Louis, Missouri. Between 1905 and 1907, Coe set world records in the 8-, 12-, and 16-pound shot put events. As a member of the Michigan Wolverines men's track and field team, he won the 1906 national intercollegiate championship in the shot put and placed second in the discus. At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England, he finished fourth in the shot put. In 1920, at age 41, he won the 56-pound weight event at the British Championships. Early years Coe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1879 and raised in Somerville, Massachusetts. He was the son of William W. Coe Sr. and Annie Coe. He began his education in the Boston public schools and subsequently attended preparatory schools, including Noble and Greenough School in Boston. In 1897, while attending Noble and Greenough, Coe was already competing in the shot put and recorded a distance of 35 feet, 7 inches. In 1898, while attending the Frye School, he won the interscholastic championship with a distance of 41 feet, 9 inches. He enrolled at the Princeton Preparatory School in the fall of 1899 and won the Amateur Athletic Union (A.A.U.) junior championship in 1900. Athletic career Oxford and Yale In 1901, Coe enrolled at Hartford College at the University of Oxford. He became the shot put champion of England in 1901 and 1902. He was also the first American athlete to be awarded a "blue" after he led Oxford to victory over Cambridge University with wins in both the shot put and hammer throw. In 1901, he recorded a distance of 44 feet, 3 inches, and in 1902 increased his personal best to 44 feet, 10 inches. Coe returned to the United States in 1902. Although he had been expected to enroll at Harvard University in