Set of 5: 1990 Olympians Series

Front:
MPIAD ANCELES MADE OLYMPIAN KEAPOLIS JUL 23UA 6. 1990 25 55401 sadi- Bagan 1920 MN OLYMPIAN QO NEAPOTIS JUL 6. 1990 5540125 g061 *61 * 0061 Ray Ewry MN COIYMBIND 1OSANGELES 1930 OLYMPIAN APOLIS JUL 6. HeleneMadison 1932 1990 55401 VII OLYMPIADE 1994 OLYMPIAN NEAPOLIS JUL 25 1990 55401 ely NHibelWightman 1924 XI MPIADE BERLIN 1936 OYMI OLYMPIADE BERLIN 1936 OLYMPIAN QO ANNEAFOITA JUL 1990 5540125 वि 9E61 Jesse Owens MN

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EDDIE EAGAN First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990 First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Few men can claim to have combined brains and brawn as effectively as Edward “Eddie" Eagan (1898-1967), the only man to have earned gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. At the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, Eagan won a gold medal in boxing as a light heavyweight. He extended his record of excellence to winter sports, becoming a member of the 1932 United States four-man bobsled team at Lake Placid, New York. But Eagan's record of achievement did not end on the sweat-stained canvas or polished ice. Though born to a poor family in Denver, Colorado, Eagan graduated from both Yale University and Harvard Law School, then continued his education in Oxford, England, as a Rhodes Scholar. Eagan patterned his life after Frank Merriwell, a fictional hero of the dime novels that were popular at the time. In the early 1930's, Eagan wrote, “To this day, I have never used tobacco, because Frank didn't. My first glass of wine, which I do not care for, was taken under social compulsion in Europe. Frank never drank." No. 90-26 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely RAY EWRY First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990 First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Though Ray Ewry (1873-1937) competed in the Olym- pics four times during his track and field career, perhaps his biggest obstacle came much earlier in life when he was stricken with childhood polio. Given little chance of survival, he was placed on a strict exercise program and responded beautifully. After overcoming the deadly dis- ease, he went on to a distinguished career as an athlete at Purdue University. In 1900, he entered the Olympic Games in Paris, taking gold medals in the standing high jump, standing long jump and standing triple jump. In the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, he won three more gold medals, competing in the same events. At the 1906 Athens Olympics, Ewry again rose to the top, winning gold medals in the standing long and high jumps. Finally, in his last Olympic appearance at the 1908 London games Ewry won top honors again in standing long and high jumps. In all, Ewry earned ten gold medals, a mark which still stands as the most awarded any athlete. No. 90-24 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Tom McNeely HELENE MADISON First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990 First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota The sport of women's swimming was still very new and Helene Madison (1913-1970) was in her teens when the 1932 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, Cali- fornia. Emerging from what is known as the “Golden Age of Swimming," Madison was a teen wonder, having by the age of 17 established twenty-six world records in freestyle events — in distances ranging from 50 yards to one mile. Two years later at the Olympic games, she was the only member of the American contingent to win three gold medals. In the 100-meter freestyle event, she set an Olympic record after faltering a bit in the semi-finals. In the 400-meter freestyle she was pushed severely by her American teammate Lenore Kight, yet set a new world record while touching the final wall just inches in front of Kight. Finally, she took a gold in the 400-meter freestyle relay. During the 1930's Madison earned a dozen world and thirty American championships, and at one time held all of the standards in American freestyle swimming. No. 90-27 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Tom McNeely HAZEL WIGHTMAN First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990 First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota In a tennis career spangled with dozens of trophies and glowing accolades, Hazel Wightman's two Olympic gold medals are sometimes overlooked. During the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, the scrappy, five-foot tall Wightman (1886-1974) paired with Helen Wills in an American victory over Great Britain's Edith Covell and Kitty McKane. Wightman then teamed with R. Norris Williams to win the gold in the mixed doubles. Yet, as great as these Olympic triumphs are, they are often overshadowed by her contributions to the game of tennis. Born on a remote ranch in California, Wightman did not play tennis until her mid-teens. Almost immediately, she brought a new style to the game. Wightman aggressively played at the net and is credited for introducing the volley to the sport. A year prior to her performance in the Paris Olympics, Wightman donated a silver trophy for women's competition between the United States and England. That competition, called the Wightman Cup, is still played today. No. 90-25 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Tom McNeely JESSE OWENS First Day of Issue: July 6, 1990 First Issue Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota When the Olympics came to Berlin in 1936, the Germans spared no expense, building a massive complex dubbed the Reich Sports Grounds. The Nazis deemed the interna- tional event a chance to tout their “Aryan race" ideology, and taunted the United States for using “inferior" black athletes. One such athlete was Jesse Owens (1913-1980) who almost single-handedly exposed the hollow core of Nazi propaganda. In an astonishing performance, Owens earned gold medals in four events: the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter sprint, the long jump and the 400-meter relay, setting or tying three Olympic and world records in the process. The youngest of ten children born to Ala- bama sharecroppers, Jesse Owens moved with his family to Ohio in the 1920's. There Jesse set numerous junior high and high school track and field records. Initially, after his return from Berlin to the United States, his career faltered. But in the 1950's he achieved financial security as a public speaker, becoming what some termed a “pro- fessional good example" for the American way of life. No. 90-23 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Tom McNeely Jesse Owens by license of Jesse Owens' Trust, Curtis Management Group