Pops

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 80th birthday today (Thursday) to an Olympic champion with two Olympic gold medals. Our birthday athlete is the first athlete from his university to win Olympic gold. Can you name our champion with an 80th birthday today?

[dj]

Tom Courtney, Fordham '55, won the 800 and anchored the 4x400, fits the time period, but that makes him too old to be graduating from Fordham. Same thing but worse for Charlie Jenkins (400, 4x4) of Villanova.

I'm out of guesses except to say that I don't think either Courtney or Jenkins is correct.

[mcgato]

The 400 guy from U of Oregon? I can't think of his name.

[DoubleRBar]

You're on the right track mcgato.

[dukehjsteve]

c'mon mcgato we are all giving you another chance here !

[mcgato]

After I posted, I looked it up. I'm not sure the rules on that. Since gennady hasn't posted yet, I'll just say that it is Otis Davis. I read the book about the Rome Olympics and the book about Bowerman, just didn't remember his name.

And an aside, the Bowerman book had a few anecdotes about a guy who lived in my small southern Minnesota town for a few years. Taught me much about running and training.

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 80th birthday today to Otis Davis, winner of the 1960 Rome Olympic 400 meters. Otis also ran the anchor leg on the winning four by 400 relay. He ran about 45.25 which brought the U.S. to a new world record of 3:02.2.

Rules don't allow looking it up, but you knew who it was and just couldn't think of his name. No one else was getting it, so we'll say happy birthday to Otis Davis.

[Jackaloupe]

I was about to post on this one, having just seen OD on one of the 'memorial' columns near the entrance at Hayward Field. I recall seeing him warming up back when, before I knew who he was: There was a sense of relaxed power, so I wasn't surprised when he won.