Dennis Phillips

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 66th birthday today (Wednesday) to an Olympic champion who also owns an Olympic silver medal.

Our birthday athlete won the gold medal at the Pan American Games.

This champion won the Olympic gold medal 44 years ago yesterday.

The hurdles have nothing to do with this athlete's Olympic medals.

While a student in college, our birthday athlete did run the hurdles.

Sharing the same initials as an Olympic champion from Beijing and London (same person), our birthday person set more than one world record.

Name this Olympic gold medalist who turns 66 years old today.

[Olli]

Bob Seagren fits some of the clues, but I don't know about all.

[DoubleRBar]

Olli, you are correct. Happy birthday today to Bob Seagren who played "Dennis Phillips" on the television show "Soap". Of course you know that Seagren set three world pole vault records and won the Olympic gold medal in Mexico City, 44 years ago yesterday.

[dj]

Now I understand "Dennis Phillips." I obviously did not watch "Soap."

But I do know that Dennis Phillips was an Oregon State pole vault contemporary of Seagren's. I just couldn't figure out the connection except that perhaps once in lifetime Phillips might have beaten Seagren.

[Olli]

I used to watch Soap in the 1980s, but did not realize Seagren was there. Also I don't recall a character called Dennis Phillips, just the Fletchers and Tates and the pseudo-Burt from outer space. Perhaps Dennis's role was one of the minor ones? Of course, it was a long ago, and my memory is not so good, even though I remember more important things such as Kjell Isaksson's and Seagren's rivalry with the pole vault WR in the early season of 1972.

I am happy I was finally able to fulfill my dream and answer correctly to one of your birthday quizzes! Yesterday evening (it was evening here) I was too sleepy to think of the Olympic champion with the same initials, but you must mean Barbora Špotáková, even though strictly speaking our birthday hero isn't Bob Šeagren, is he?:-)

[DoubleRBar]

I never watched "Soap", however I remember reading about Seagren's acting career.

Yes, Barbora Spotakova is correct and yes, I am not speaking strictly. I don't know anyone who ever called him Robert Seagren.

[mcgato]

As I recall, Seagren was in the first season of Soap and was having a relationship with Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal. I think that he was also having an affair with someone (possibly multiple others), possibly with Jessica Tate played by Katherine Helmond. I also think that he was killed off at the end of the first season, leaving the cliffhanger of who killed him.

Off to wiki to verify. That should kill an hour.

Edit: nope, I got the dating Jodie Dallas correct, but it was Robert Urich's character who was sleeping with multiple women (not at the same time) and got murdered at the end of season 1.

[no one]

and he was quite a good IHer

[DoubleRBar]

Bob had the makings of a pretty good decathlete, although the three weight events probably would have given him some trouble.

[polevaultpower]

But I do know that Dennis Phillips was an Oregon State pole vault contemporary of Seagren's. I just couldn't figure out the connection except that perhaps once in lifetime Phillips might have beaten Seagren.

And I assume that is the same Dennis Phillips who is a current masters vaulter in Oregon. Confusing thread title!

[DoubleRBar]

But I do know that Dennis Phillips was an Oregon State pole vault contemporary of Seagren's. I just couldn't figure out the connection except that perhaps once in lifetime Phillips might have beaten Seagren.

And I assume that is the same Dennis Phillips who is a current masters vaulter in Oregon. Confusing thread title!

It should be a little confusing.

[gh]

Dennis Phillips the vaulter set the national JC Record in '66 and was history's 8th 17-foot vaulter (and a World Ranker).

Dennis Phillips the character in Soap was Jodie Dallas's gay lover. Dallas, of course, was played to a T by a young Billy Crystal.

[DoubleRBar]

The question is, "Could Billy Crystal vault?"