He was born in Saskatchewan, Canada and grew up in Monroe, Washington, United States. During high school, he participated in track and field events, as well as football and tennis. After high school, Orr ran for the Washington State University Cougars, where he was coached by Karl Schlademan.[1] He worked as a stock boy for $35 a month to get through school in the days before athletic scholarships. The six-foot, 175 pound freshman dazzled his coaches. He went on to eight Pacific Coast North Division titles and an NCAA championship in the 440-yard run. And he and his brother Jack ran with the Cougar relay team that set a world record in June, 1937. Orr was inducted into the Washington Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]
In 1936 at the Berlin Olympics, he finished fifth in the 200 metre event but equaled the world record during the quarterfinals.[1] He was also a member of the Canadian relay team which finished fifth in the Men's 4 x 100 metres relay. In the 100 metres contest he was eliminated in the first round.
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