1977
Inductee
About Earl Hoyt Jr.
1911-2001
Competitor, Contributor to the Sport, Influence on the Sport...
His love for music was something most people did not know about Earl. By 1927, he was playing on stage and in 1932 was playing banjo solo's twice a week on WIL Radio. He also formed a twelve piece orchestra which flourished until the advent of war in the nineteen forties.
Earl Hoyt Jr.'s Achievements
A Merit Badge for Boy Scouts, Dr. Saxton Popes "Hunting with the Bow and Arrow and generations of craftsmen in the Hoyt family were the greatest influence toward starting this youngster from St. Louis on his lover affair with archery.
In 1942 Earl convinced his dad to go into the archery business with him under the name of Hoyt Archery Company. The first major breakthrough was in bow design, introducing both the dynamic balance limbs and limbs of equal length in 1947, From there he developed the semi-pistol grip on bow handles and the 1956 the full pistol grip and in the last fifties he invented the Stabilizer. The industry has relied upon his expertise many times while he served as a member of the Standards Committee for the Archery Manufactures Organization and served as president in 1964.
Earl has said that archery is not only a vocation, but an avocation for him.
Notes of Interest
• Enthused by Saxton Pope’s Books and Articles, Formed Missouri-Based Hoyt Archery Company with His Father in 1942
• First Major Breakthrough Came in 1947 with Development of Dynamic Balance Bow Limbs and Limbs of Equal Length
• Later Engineered Semi-Pistol Grips on Bow Handles, Followed by Pistol Grips, and Introduction of Bow Stabilizers
• U.S. Archers Doreen Wilbur and John Williams Won Gold Medals in the 1972 Olympics Shooting Hoyt Pro Medalist Bows
• Outstanding Competitor, One of Only 3 Archers to Participate in 25 Annual NAA Nationals; Talented Musician
• Married AHOF Inductee Ann Weber in 1971; Promoted Archery for More Than 65 Years
• Received NAA’s Thompson Medal of Honor, 1977
