Name: | Dick Fosbury |
Occupation: | High Jumper |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Day: | March 6, 1947 |
Age: | 75 |
Country: | United States |
Zodiac Sign: | Pisces |
Dick Fosbury
Trivia
Physique
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Before Fame
He competed in track and field at Oregon State University.
Biography
Biography Timeline
The technique gained the name the “Fosbury Flop” when in 1964 the Medford Mail-Tribune ran a photo captioned “Fosbury Flops Over Bar,” while in an accompanying article a reporter wrote that he looked like “a fish flopping in a boat.” Others were even less kind, with one newspaper captioning Fosbury’s photograph, “World’s Laziest High Jumper”.
After graduating from Medford High School in 1965, he enrolled at Oregon State University in Corvallis. The school’s coach, Berny Wagner, believed that Fosbury would eventually achieve greater results using the western roll and convinced him to continue practicing the old technique through his freshman year, although he was allowed to use the “flop” in freshman meets. The debate over technique ended during Fosbury’s sophomore year, however, when he cleared 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) in his first meet of the season, shattering the school record.
In the 1968 outdoor season, Fosbury won the PAC-8 Conference title and went on to win the NCAA championship at Knoxville, Tennessee, in mid-June with a jump of 7 feet 2.5 inches (2.197 m). He duplicated those wins the following year (1969).
At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Fosbury took the gold medal and set a new Olympic record at 2.24 meters (7 ft 4¼ in), displaying the potential of the new technique. Despite the initial skeptical reactions from the high jumping community, the “Fosbury Flop” quickly gained acceptance. In the Finals competition, only three jumpers cleared 2.20 meters (7 ft 2½ in), and Fosbury was in the lead by virtue of having cleared every height on his first attempt. At the next height, 2.22 m (7 ft 3¼ in), Fosbury again cleared the bar on his first jump. His teammate, Ed Caruthers, cleared on his second effort, while Valentin Gavrilov of the Soviet Union missed on all three attempts and earned the bronze medal (third place). The bar was raised to 2.24 meters, which would be new Olympic and United States records. Fosbury missed on his first two attempts, but cleared on his third, while Caruthers missed on all three of his attempts. Having won the gold medal and broken the American record, Fosbury asked the bar to be raised to 2.29 m, hoping to break Valeriy Brumel’s 5-year-old world record of 2.28 m. However, none of his attempts at 2.29 m came close to clearing.
Fosbury graduated from Oregon State University in 1972 with a degree in civil engineering and is the co-owner of Galena Engineering, Inc. in Ketchum, Idaho, where he has lived since 1977.
In March 2008, Fosbury was diagnosed with stage one lymphoma. He had surgery a month later to remove a cancerous tumor engulfing his lower vertebra. Due to concerns about the tumor’s proximity to the spine, it was not completely removed and he was put on a chemotherapy regimen. In March 2009, Fosbury announced that he was in remission. In March 2014 he declared in an interview with the Corvallis Gazette-Times that he was “doing well” and was “clear of cancer.”
During the 2008 edition of “Sport Movies & TV – Milano International FICTS Fest” Fosbury was awarded with the Excellence Guirlande d’Honneur and entered in the FICTS “Hall of Fame”.
In 2013, Fosbury’s high jump appeared in a Mazda commercial portraying “Game Changers” and, with Fosbury himself, in an ad for Wuaki TV.
In fall 2014, Fosbury ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Idaho House of Representatives against incumbent Republican Representative Steve Miller. Miller won the election.
In 2015, Avicii released the music video for “Broken Arrows” (with lyrics by Zac Brown) that is loosely based on Fosbury’s high jumping story and personal life.
In January 2019, Fosbury succeeded Larry Schoen as Blaine County Commissioner.
🎂 Upcoming Birthday
Currently, Dick Fosbury is 75 years, 8 months and 29 days old. Dick Fosbury will celebrate 76th birthday on a Monday 6th of March 2023.
Find out about Dick Fosbury birthday activities in timeline view here.
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