Early in his life, Raymond Quigley participated in athletics to combat a frail constitution.

On one-Fourth of July in Central City, Colorado, he won a foot race for eight-yer-olds, then a race for 10-year-olds and a few minutes later a race for 12-year-olds. Then he was barred from further competition that day.

In high school, he competed in football, baseball, basketball, and track. As a senior, he won the United States high school boys’ championship against 57 other sectional champions in St. Louis in 1904.

Entering the University of Chicago in 1905, where he worked his way through school and competed in football and track under Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg. He was captain of the football team at Chicago in 1908.

Quigley competed on the Chicago mile relay team which never lost in three years. He was also on Big Ten championship track teams.

It was while he was at the University of Chicago that he became interested in playground work.

After college, he was a successful, basketball, track, and baseball coach and director of athletics.

In 1914 he came to Fresno by way of Los Angeles.

Immediately he set to work to give Fresno the nation’s leading playground and recreational program. He was a great innovator and put many “firsts” into practice in Fresno.

Americanization, democracy, moral uplift, social benefits, civic pride, physical attainment, and good sportsmanship have been the ideals toward which he worked and led the children, the youth and the people of Fresno.