William Wyatt

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Tuesday) to an Olympic champion who died 29 years ago this month. Our birthday athlete was born the same year as was Cary Grant.

This champion set a world record one week after Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, becoming the first pilot to fly solo, nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite open about eight weeks after our birthday champion set the world record.

An Ivy League school graduate, this athlete won the Olympic gold medal on the first day of August almost exactly one year after the Ahwahnee Hotel opened in Yosemite National Park.

Our birthday person was the first to clear a certain "barrier" in his event. He also shares the same initials as two male Olympic champions. One of these champions was deeply involved in the London Olympics this year. The other Olympic champion still competes today in the sprints.

After retiring from track and field competition, this athlete made money in the lumber business in Oakland, California. He died in Santa Barbara, California (29 years ago one week from tomorrow).

The state in which our birthday athlete was born contains four letters. The college where he went to school also contains only four letters. Our birthday person's last name contains four letters.

Setting an Olympic record, this champion led a one-two-three sweep for his country.

Do you know this gold medalist? Some of you do. Name this man.

[dj]

The name of his prep school contains only four letters.

[dukehjsteve]

Frustrating ! I figured out the year ( easy ) the initials,the state, the college, the prep school , and the event, but I just couldn't quite remember the name ( until I looked it up ! ) .

[DoubleRBar]

Ok, dj and dukehjsteve know this one. Here are some more hints for someone else to get it. You know his last name has four letters, but did you know that the first word in his event also has four letters?

Two Olympic champions in track and field share our athlete's last name (four letters). One of those two won Olympic gold at 400 meters while the other won gold at 200 meters.

A former child actor who went on to direct many Westerns (including "Rawhide") also has the same last name as our birthday person.

A British actor weighing around 280 pounds and usually bearded shares the same initials as our athlete. By the way, you might remember this actor from "Checkmate" and "Family Affair" on television.

Ok, name the birthday athlete.

[tandfman]

Ok, dj and dukehjsteve know this one. Here are some more hints for someone else to get it. You know his last name has four letters, but did you know that the first word in his event also has four letters?

That's not much of a clue. You've already told us that he "cleared" a certain barrier, which I think reduces the possibilities to the high jump and the pole vault.

I do know who thet athlete is. But I've no idea who William Wyatt is. Google points me to, among others, the executed murderer of a 3-year old boy. I don't know how many letters the name of his school had.

[DoubleRBar]

Our birthday athlete's middle names are "William Wyatt".

[LopenUupunut]

The athlete whose WR he broke was declared a professional by the IAAF.

[DoubleRBar]

That would be the Norwegian Charles Hoff (my grandfather was Norwegian). Hoff might have won the gold medal in Paris (1924), however he was injured and did not compete in his best event (same event as our birthday athlete). Hoff did compete in the 800 meters and took eighth place at the 1924 Olympic Games. Hoff's last name and our birthday athlete's last name both contain four letters. Hoff's first name begins with the same letter as our birthday athlete's last name.