Alfred Carleten GILBERT

After attending the College of the Pacific, A. C. Gilbert enrolled at Yale, where their reputation as a fine vaulting center was just being established. In 1907 he was in a four-way tie for the IC4A title and all four vaulters were from Yale. In June 1908, Gilbert set world records of 12-7¾ (3.855) and 12-8 (3.86) only to lose the record within the week to Walter Dray, a fellow Eli. Gilbert won the AAU junior title in 1905 but never won the senior outdoor championship. At the 1908 Olympics, Gilbert tied for first place with Ed Cook of Cornell, the only time this has happened in Olympic pole vault history. Besides vaulting, Gilbert finished second in the Yale gymnastics championships in 1905 and was intercollegiate wrestling champion in 1906. After his sporting days were over, he made a fortune as president of the toy company that bore his name and manufactured Erector Sets, American Flyer electric trains, and many other popular toys. Gilbert also earned an M.D. degree from Yale, but he never practiced medicine.

Personal Best: PV – 12-8 (3.86) (1908).