John Gray
Achievements
Adaptive Sports Hall of FameIn the early years of wheelchair sports, John was one of the athletes on the international scene
who could be counted on to represent the USA as an effective and respected ambassador of good
sportsmanship and camraderie as a member of nine international teams.
John’s primary sport was table tennis and in the early 60’s he was the dominant player in the sport. In those early years, table tennis was more developed and popular on the international scene, so John found himself being more popular and recognized abroad than at home. However, he was instrumental in the development of table tennis as a sport in the USA and garnered many medals nationally.
As was the practice in the early 60’s, athletes competed in multiple sports and John was no exception. He dabbled in track & field for some time. In the late 60’s, he was one of the first athletes to enter the 10 meter air gun pistol competition on the international level and developed into a world record holder by 1971. In table tennis competition, John was the national champion in singles from 1966 until 1975. In international competition, John was a gold and silver medal winner in singles and doubles at the Pan American Games in 1969 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; in 1971 in Jamaica; and 1975 in Mexico while taking double gold medals in singles and double in 1973 in Peru. He also won a gold medal in slalom at the 1967 Stoke Mandeville Games and a gold in doubles table tennis at Stoke-Mandeville in 1974. John also held the national record in Precision Javelin for many years with a perfect score of 80.
John was instrumental in the formation of the Ohio Wheelchair Athletic Association and has helped direct the regional games in the Ohio area from their inception. John was also responsible for the success of the many athletes whom he tutored and guided into national and international competitions.