Art Devlin (ski jumper)

Arthur "Art" Donovan Devlin (September 7, 1922 – April 22, 2004) was an American ski jumper who competed during the 1950s. A native of Lake Placid, New York, he finished fifth in the individual large hill at the 1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships which were held in Lake Placid. Devlin also made five Olympics teams, competing in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics, where he finished 15th and 21st in the individual large hills, respectively.

Prior to the 1950s, Devlin also flew fifty combat missions over Europe during World War II as a B-24 pilot, earning three Purple Hearts and numerous other military honors.

While in ski jumping, Devlin went into the hotel business, opening up Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Inn in 1953, a hotel he would run until he retired and passed it onto his son, Art, Jr., in 1992. He also was a color commentator for ABC Sports during the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming lifelong friends with sportscaster Chris Schenkel.

Devlin, Jack Shea, and Vern Lamb were also important in bringing the 1980 Winter Olympics back to Lake Placid as well, including lobbying across Europe to present their case to the International Olympic Committee.

Devlin married and had three children. His first wife died in 1989 and he would remarry several years later. He died of brain cancer in 2004.

External links

*FIS|S=JP|ID=13421|name=A. Devlin
* [http://archive.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2004/04_2004/042420042.htm "(Plattsburgh, NY) Press-Republican" April 24, 2004 article on Devlin's passing.] - Accessed March 25, 2007.
*findagrave|8673336 Retrieved on 2008-07-24

References

*"Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Inn". (1999). In "AAA New York Tour Book: Good through 4/2000". Heathrow, FL: AAA Publishing. p. 280.