Used in the Exhibit: Play by Play - A Century of L.A. Sports Photography, 1889-1989 Paavo Nurmi (middle runner), competing at the Coliseum. Arguably the world's greatest distance runner, the "Flying Finn" won nine Olympic gold medals, though he was barred from competing at the Los Angeles Olympics because of accusations of professionalism. In 1925, Nurmi toured the U.S.; in L.A., he raced against students from the Sherman Institute, the all-Indian boarding school located in Riverside. Sherman's most famous athlete was baseball's John "Chief" Meyers, but the school also produced Albert Ray, a Pima Indian who won the 1913 Los Angeles Athletic Club "marathon" (actually, a 10-miler). Ray was a favorite for the 1916 Olympics, but the Games were cancelled due to World War I. Ray died in action during the war.
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