John Fitzpatrick (athlete)

John Richardson Fitzpatrick

John Fitzpatrick at the 1928 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	John Richardson Fitzpatrick
Nickname(s)	Johnny Fitzpatrick
Citizenship	Canadian
Born	(1907-03-21)March 21, 1907 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	July 9, 1989(1989-07-09) (aged 82) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Education	Engineering (1933)
Alma mater	University of Toronto
Occupation	Athlete, engineer, inventor
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	132 lb (60 kg)
Spouse(s)	Grace Edith Cowan
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Track and field (1927–1930), Canadian football (1928–1932)
Event(s)	Sprint
University team	Toronto Varsity Blues
League	Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU)
Club	Hamilton Olympic Club
Team	Hamilton Tigers
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1928 Summer Olympics: Men's 200 m: Fifth place
Personal best(s)	100 m – 10.6 (1930) 200 m – 21.7e (1928)
Medal record Representing  Canada British Empire Games 1930 Hamilton 4×110 yards 1930 Hamilton 220 yards 1930 Hamilton 100 yards
Updated on January 2, 2015.

John Richardson Fitzpatrick (March 21, 1907 – July 9, 1989) was a Canadian athlete who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.

Fitzpatrick was born on March 21, 1907 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to John Duncan Fitzpatrick and Agnes Elizabeth Willson.

While enrolled at the University of Toronto, he was a member of the intercollegiate championship team in 1927. He completed a degree in engineering at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1933. In 1934, he married Grace Cowan, the daughter of Hugh Cowan and the sister of James Alexander Cowan, in Toronto. They had two sons, John McGillivray Fitzpatrick and Murray Alan Stuart Fitzpatrick.

After serving briefly with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, he went on to work at Shell Canada researching diesel engines and fuels. A career in sales followed with construction companies in Toronto and Hamilton. In the early 1960s, Fitzpatrick worked for the Ontario's Ministry of Highways, rising to the position of deputy chief of the equipment section.

Fitzpatrick raced out of the Hamilton Olympic Club. He played with the Hamilton Tigers as a senior member in 1926 and 1928, wherein they won the Grey Cup. In the same year, he was able to become part of Canada's Olympic track and field team. He competed in the 100 meters where he finished fifth place and in the 200 meter race where he finished as a semifinalist. He was also a member of the Canadian relay team where they competed in the 4 x 100 meter relay; they were disqualified. In 1930, he won Canada's first medal at the inaugural 1930 British Empire Games held in Hamilton.