Art Devlin

Who was Art Devlin?

Arthur "Art" Donovan Devlin 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 in 1953, opening Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Inn, 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, 1968, 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics, becoming lifelong friends with sportscaster Chris Schenkel.

Devlin, with fellow Lake Placidians J. Bernard Fell, Ronald MacKenzie, Jack Shea and Vern Lamb, also led the effort to bring the 1980 Winter Olympics to Lake Placid, lobbying across Europe to present their case to the International Olympic Committee.