Fencing — Men
While the Ivy League has had only a handful of medalists in men’s fencing, it has produced many Olympians. Nearly 60 men’s fencers have competed at the Olympics, but only one has captured gold — Harvard’s Manuel Diaz in 1904. Diaz, who still stands as the only Cuban-born Ivy Olympian, won two golds in St. Louis, winning a team medal in the foil and an individual medal in the sabre.
Frank Righeimer, a Yale graduate, took two bronze medals at the 1932 Olympics. He helped team USA to medals in the epee and foil competitions. The Los Angeles Games did not end his career though. He went on to win the outdoor epee national championship in 1933.
Several fencers have made three or more appearances at the Olympics. Yale’s Dernell Every was a member of the bronze medal-winning USA foil team with Righeimer in 1932. He made appearances at four Olympic Games between 1928 and 1948.
Yale’s John Huffman also competed four years in the saber events while Penn graduates David Micahnik and Harold A.R. Van Buskirk went three times each. Columbia’s Norman Armitage set the bar for success in terms of appearances, going to the Olympics six straight times between 1932 and 1956. He finally earned his first medal in 1948 when the United States saber team took bronze.
| Name (School) | Country | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Hugh Alessandroni (Columbia ’29) • | United States | 1932-36 |
| Philip Allison (Cornell ’11) | United States | 1924 |
| Frank Anger (Princeton ’61) | United States | 1964 |
| Norman Armitage (Columbia ’30) • | United States | 1928-32-36-40-48-52-56 |
| Cliff Bayer (Penn ’01) | United States | 1996-00 |
| Tamir Bloom (Penn ’94) | United States | 1996-00 |
| Harold Bloomer (Columbia ’22) | United States | 1924 |
| Millard Bloomer, Jr. (Columbia ’20) | United States | 1920 |
| Burke Boyce (Harvard ’22) | United States | 1924 |
| Henry Breckinridge (Princeton ’07) • | United States | 1920-24-28 |
| George Breed (Harvard ’99) | United States | 1912-24 |
| Bob Cottingham (Columbia ’88) | United States | 1988-92 |
| Peter Devine (Yale ’98) | United States | 1996 |
| Manuel Diaz (Harvard ’99) • • | Cuba | 1904 |
| Jed Dupree (Columbia ’01) | United States | 2004 |
| Rex Dyer (Penn ’50) | United States | 1956-60 |
| Dernell Every (Yale ’28) • | United States | 1928-32-40-48 |
| Sherif Farrag (Columbia ’09) | Egypt | 2012 |
| Ernesto Fernandez-Moreno (Penn ’73) | Mexico | 1968 |
| Paul Friedberg (Penn ’81) | United States | 1988 |
| Ernest Gignoux (Cornell ’98) | United States | 1912-24 |
| Joel Glucksman (Columbia ’73) | United States | 1984 |
| Kinmott Hoitsma (Princeton ’56) | United States | 1956 |
| John Huffman (Yale ’26) | United States | 1928-32-36-40 |
| John Hurd (Harvard ’34) | United States | 1936 |
| Tracy Jaeckel (Princeton ’28) • | United States | 1932-36 |
| Dan Kellner (Columbia ’98) | United States | 2004 |
| Henry Kolowrat (Princeton ’54) | United States | 1960 |
| Tom Losonczy (Columbia ’75) | United States | 1976-80 |
| Brooke Makler (Penn ’73) | United States | 1976 |
| Paul Makler, Sr. (Penn ’43) | United States | 1952 |
| Paul Makler, Jr. (Penn ’68) | United States | 1972 |
| James Margolis (Columbia ’58) | United States | 1960 |
| Jose Martinez-Zorilla (Cornell ’32) | Mexico | 1936 |
| Chauncey McPherson (Penn ’13) | United States | 1924 |
| Jamie Melcher (Columbia ’62) | United States | 1972 |
| David Micahnik (Penn ’59) | United States | 1960-64-68 |
| Al Morales (Yale ’58) | United States | 1960-64-68-72 |
| Stephen Netburn (Penn ’65) | United States | 1968-72 |
| Jon Normile (Columbia ’88) | United States | 1992 |
| Dan Nowosielski (Princeton ’90) | Canada | 1992-96 |
| Chris O’Loughlin (Penn ’89) | United States | 1992 |
| J. Brooks Parker (Penn ’11) | United States | 1920-24 |
| Richard Pew (Cornell ’55) | United States | 1956 |
| John Potter (Yale ’32) | United States | 1936 |
| Frank Righeimer, Jr. (Yale ’29) • • | United States | 1932-36 |
| William Russell (Harvard) | United States | 1920-24 |
| Leon Schoonmaker (Princeton ’04) | United States | 1920 |
| Lee Shelley (Princeton ’78) | United States | 1984-88 |
| Alfred Skrobisch (Columbia ’33) | United States | 1940-52 |
| Jeff Spear (Columbia ’10) | United States | 2012 |
| Soren Thompson (Princeton ’04) | United States | 2004-12 |
| Fitzhugh Townsend (Columbia ’04) • | United States | 1904 |
| Steve Trevor (Columbia ’86) | United States | 1984-88 |
| Harold Van Buskirk (Penn ’15) | United States | 1924-28-32 |
| Alfred Walker, Jr. (Yale ’24) | United States | 1924 |
| James Williams (Columbia ’07) • | United States | 2008-12 |
• Gold Medal (also indicated by bold name)
• Silver Medal
• Bronze Medal
