This 2012 Americana Heroes and Legends trading card features the autograph of Olympic gold medalist Gary Hall Sr. The card is from the Heroes and Legends Autographs insert set and is serial numbered 279/299. Hall competed for the United States Olympic Team in swimming at the Summer Olympics and is a member of the Hall of Fame. The card is in near mint condition and comes with Panini Americana authentication. It is a must-have for any sports trading card collector.
Dr. Gary Wayne Hall Sr. (born August 7, 1951) is an American former competitive swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in five events. He is also a former ophthalmologist. Hall first represented the United States in the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico, where he won a silver medal for his second-place finish in the men's 400-meter individual medley. Two years later he broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, he earned a silver medal in the men's 200-meter butterfly. His final Olympic appearance was at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, capping his Olympic career with a bronze medal in the men's 100-meter butterfly. At the end of the Montreal Olympics, his fellow American athletes from all sports disciplines chose him to be the U.S. flagbearer in the closing ceremony. In 1981, Hall was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
His son Gary Hall Jr. became a famous Olympic swimmer as well, starting in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, getting various gold medals at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. With his son's participation at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, the Halls became the first father-and-son pair to make three Olympic appearances.