Joe

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 77th birthday today (Monday) to an Olympic champion with three Olympic gold medals. All three gold medals are from the same Olympic Games.

Born in Harlingen, this champion won the first two Olympic gold medals in one month and the third gold medal in another month.

Some consider our birthday champion to be one of the most "relaxed" athletes while competing, in Olympic history.

Name this three time Olympic gold medalist.

[bambam]

Bobby Joe Morrow

[DoubleRBar]

Bobby Joe Morrow it is, bambam. Happy birthday today to Bobby Morrow. He did what Wilma Rudolph did four years later. Bobby won the 100 and 200 (in November of 1956) and then the four by 100 relay (in December of 1956).

Was there anyone on our board who saw Morrow run in Melbourne? My first Olympics was Mexico City twelve years later.

[paw]

If any great fan of Morrow are interested: You can have a copy of this portrait!

I've made a portrait on Morrow's career (132 pages - size 16,5MB on PDF) - collected from T&FN, TN, ATFS, All-Time Lists, several Newspapers.

[paw]

Why Morrow didn’t defended his titles in Rome 60

When all the trouble began:
Bobby Morrow told in an interview in 2000:
About a year before the Olympic trials I flew in a private plane from Abilene to the Meet of Champions in Houston, [6th of June, 1959] along with my wife and her broodier,” says Morrow, who was in the process of getting his pilot’s license. “On the way back, the pilot nearly got us killed. I had to wrestle the controls from him and land the thing myself. But what happened at the meet had been worse. I pulled a groin muscle, and it was bad.”
The injury haunted him for months, cramping, literally, his running technique.

1) Meet of Champions in Houston June 6th, 1959:
Suffered a severe muscle spasm

2) At AAU in Boulder June 19th, 1959

Hampered by a sore thigh muscle


3) Spring 1960

Leg trouble all spring

4) May 13th, 1960

Suffered another pull


5) Just prior to the AAU meet in Bakersfield, 1960

Has a big knot in his leg


6) At the Trials in Palo Alto where Morrow finished 4th in the 200 meters, just outside the qualified to Rome

Ran in the finals with a big bandage on his right thigh


7) Last races in a pre olympic meeting in Walnut 12th of August

Finished 3rd in 100m in 10.2 (behind Sime 10.1,S.Johnson 10.2)
5th in 200 in 21.0 (behind Woods 20.7, S.Johnson 20.8, Carney 20.8,Winder 21.0)

And ran the anchor leg on the relay team, Winder,Sime,Johnson in 39.8

And he was only 24 years and 10 month when he retired!