Before he was Tony Hulman Jr. the racing icon, he was Anton the superstar athlete

INDIANAPOLIS — Most things Tony Hulman Jr. touched eventually turned to gold. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for example. He took it from a shuttered, dilapidated venue overgrown with weeds — after four years of neglect during World War II — to the thriving racing capital of the world.

As a young businessman, he catapulted his father's Clabber Girl company to national prominence for its signature product — baking powder. He bought up Coca-Cola bottling plants, utility companies and newspaper and radio stations — turning them all into profitable ventures.

But long before his glitzy business ventures, and unknown by many, was a young Hulman who still went by his given name, Anton, and whose golden touch invaded amateur sports.

Hulman played on Yale football's undefeated 1923 team as a starting left end and was named an All-American end.

He was a high school track star, earning the title of most outstanding pole vaulter in the United States and No. 1 high hurdler in the nation.

Hulman, no doubt, is best known as a racing industry icon. Among the headlines in newspapers after Hulman's death in 1977 were many that touted his racing legend.

But one in the Indianapolis Star simply read "Outstanding athlete."

Hulman was born in Terre Haute, Ind., February 11, 1901, and went to grade school at St. Benedict's. He was quiet and proved his athletic prowess by actions not words, according to newspaper archives.

As a teen at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, Hulman was named by The Amateur Athletic Association as the nation's best pole vaulter in 1919. As a senior in 1920, he earned the title of No. 1 high hurdler in the United States.

IndyStar reached out to Worcester Academy for specific stats on Hulman's athletic feats, but a yearbook for his time at the school couldn't be found, said Neil Isakson, director of external relations and development operations. Isakson also scoured official bulletins for Hulman's athletic career at the school, but only found Hulman listed as a graduate.

Once out of high school, Hulman went to Yale to earn a degree in engineering from the university’s Sheffield Scientific school.

There, he turned to football and was a member of the school’s undefeated team in 1923. Yale archives show Hulman as a starter at left end wearing No. 34 for that undefeated team, said Mike Gambardella, associate athletic director.

Hulman, listed in photos at 5-11 and 168 pounds, helped Yale to an 8-0 record under head coach Tad Jones.

That season, Yale outscored its opponents by a combined score of 230 to 38, including a 40-0 victory over Georgia, a 31-10 victory over Army and shutout wins over Princeton and Harvard, according to Yale archives.

Hulman was named an All-American end on the 1923 team and was given Honorable Mention on Walter Camp's All-American Team.

Still, Hulman didn't give up his other sports love at Yale, track and field.

As a junior and senior, Hulman competed in several intercollegiate track and field meets. He won the International High Hurdles Championship at a meet in Wembley, England, in 1923. He represented Yale in an international track meet in Boston and he was a member of the 1924 Yale team that won the Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships.

Once out of college, Hulman turned to coaching. He was the 1924 freshman football coach at then-Rose Poly Institute of Technology and was an assistant coach of the varsity line.

More: Retro Indy: When Hulman bought IMS, his mom told him to 'tear it down and start all over'

His coaching career didn't last long. Soon, Hulman was immersed in the family business. And by 1931, in his late 20s, he was Hulman & Company president. The rest is a well-documented story of a shrewd businessman and racing legend.

One year before his death, though, Hulman's athletic feats were brought to the forefront when he was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tony Hulman owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway after he was an athlete