Joe Grejdus
1999
Joe Grejdus began competing in wheelchair archery in 1984, when he was 44 years old. Over the next ten years, the Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native made up for lost time very quickly. During this period, Joe captured six national championships and competed on four World Championship and two Paralympic teams. He also became only the second United States wheelchair archer to record a score of 1200 or higher (1214) in a competition.
Perhaps the greatest contribution Joe made to his sport was helping to pave the way for wheelchair archers to shoot in able-bodied competitions. Joe was a regular competitor in National Archery Association events throughout his career.
Joe not only competed in NAA events, he excelled in them. In 1994, Joe became the first wheelchair archer to medal in a national championship event for able-bodied competitors when he captured a bronze medal in the Master’s Division at the National Archery Association Nationals in Oxford, Ohio. Joe went on to win a silver medal in the NAA Indoor Nationals that same year.
Joe continued to compete at the highest level of his sport well into his 60’s. Joe blazed the trail for wheelchair archers into the arena of able-bodied competition.