Jon Frederic Cole (April 1, 1943 – January 10, 2013) was a discus thrower, powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter and strongman from the United States. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile strength athletes of all time.

He competed in powerlifting just prior to the formation of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF). Having set world records in the squat, deadlift and Total during his career, he was multiple times AAU US National Powerlifting Champion as well as an Olympic weightlifter, discus thrower and shot-putter. Being the "premier strongman" of the early 1970s for his overall excellence in powerlifting, Olympic lifting and strength-based track and field, Cole was at one time known as the "strongest man in the world" for holding the greatest combined powerlifting/weightlifting super total of all time. He was not only officially the first man in history to total 2200 lbs, he also became the first man to squat over 900 lbs (raw with knee wraps) as well as the first to total 2300 lbs in competition on October 28, 1972 (shortly followed two weeks later by John Kuc with 905 and 2350 lbs on November 11). While past his prime as a lifter, he competed in the inaugural World's Strongest Man competition in 1977, where he finished in 6th place.

Cole was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Arizona. He began weight training at the age of 12 after buying his first weight set. In high school, he competed in track and field, including sprinting and throwing events.

Cole entered Glendale High School in 1959, where he was all-state in track and field for two years and high school state champion in the Discus throw as a junior and senior. He set the national high school record as a junior and was named to the national high-school All-American track and field team of 1961 and 1962.

Cole graduated with academic and athletic honors, and accepted a four-year full scholarship from Arizona State University. While at ASU he set the school, state, and conference records in the Discus and Shot Put, and was named an NCAA and AAU All American in 1965 and 1966.

After finishing College in 1969, Cole went on to compete in Track and Field, powerlifting and Olympic lifting at the same time. Besides setting numerous records in discus and shot put, his probably biggest achievement as a track athlete is his first place in the discus throw at the National AAU Track and Field Championships in 1969, where he threw the discus 208 ft 10 in (63.65 m) for a National AAU Discus record and was named the outstanding Athlete of the championships. He even defeated the great discus thrower and Olympic silver medalist Jay Silvester on that day. Some of his track records and achievements are:

Versatile and Athletic Achievements Witnessed and Verified

Cole is also the only person in the world to win two national AAU titles in two sports - Powerlifting, Track and Field - and be named the "Outstanding Performer" in both 1969 and 1970. Cole held more than 200 marks in U.S. and European meets in discus and the shot put, according to Sports Illustrated, which ranked him No. 18 on its list of the top 50 Arizona athletes of the 20th century.