RIP Dick Fosbury

[rightwinger]

One of the few who can claim they revolutionized their sport.
In the 1968 Olympics, Fosbury shocked the sports world with his revolutionary High Jump style. Rather than use the traditional straddle style jump, he went over the bar backwards. High Jumping was never the same.
By the 1972 Olympics, every High Jumper was using the Fosbury Flop

Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized high jump and was 1968 Summer Olympics champion, dies at 76 | CNN

Dick Fosbury, legendary Olympic gold high jumper who revolutionized the track and field event, died Sunday of lymphoma, according to his publicist Ray Schulte. Fosbury was 76.

www.cnn.com

Fosbury Flop

 

[rightwinger]

High Jumping before Dick Fosbury

 

[rightwinger]

 

[okfine]

One of the few who can claim they revolutionized their sport.
In the 1968 Olympics, Fosbury shocked the sports world with his revolutionary High Jump style. Rather than use the traditional straddle style jump, he went over the bar backwards. High Jumping was never the same.
By the 1972 Olympics, every High Jumper was using the Fosbury Flop

Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized high jump and was 1968 Summer Olympics champion, dies at 76 | CNN

Dick Fosbury, legendary Olympic gold high jumper who revolutionized the track and field event, died Sunday of lymphoma, according to his publicist Ray Schulte. Fosbury was 76.

www.cnn.com

View attachment 765596
Fosbury Flop

I remember back in those days how many in our local schools got into track after seeing that guy jump.

 

[rightwinger]

I remember back in those days how many in our local schools got into track after seeing that guy jump.

I started HS Track in 1970. Two years after the introduction of the Fosbury Flop. By then, every new jumper was doing the flop. A few kept doing the old straddle technique. But those who converted from being straddle jumpers went from jumping 5’6 to 5’8 to jumping 5’10 or 6 feet.

That is how influential Dick Fosbury was.

 

[okfine]

I started HS Track in 1970. Two years after the introduction of the Fosbury Flop. By then, every new jumper was doing the flop. A few kept doing the old straddle technique. But those who converted from being straddle jumpers went from jumping 5’6 to 5’8 to jumping 5’10 or 6 feet.

That is how influential Dick Fosbury was.

I remember a guy in my same 1973 freshman year was jumping is own 5' 8" height using that 90 degree turn.
I tried finding his stats and I saw this video...

 

[rightwinger]

I remember a guy in my same 1973 freshman year was jumping is own 5' 8" height using that 90 degree turn.
I tried finding his stats and I saw this video...

You must remember Franklyn Jacobs in the late 70s

He was 5’8 and jumped over 7’7 almost two feet over his head

 

[okfine]

You must remember Franklyn Jacobs in the late 70s

He was 5’8 and jumped over 7’7 almost two feet over his head

Wow. Amazing timing and technique.

 

[22lcidw]

One of the few who can claim they revolutionized their sport.
In the 1968 Olympics, Fosbury shocked the sports world with his revolutionary High Jump style. Rather than use the traditional straddle style jump, he went over the bar backwards. High Jumping was never the same.
By the 1972 Olympics, every High Jumper was using the Fosbury Flop

Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized high jump and was 1968 Summer Olympics champion, dies at 76 | CNN

Dick Fosbury, legendary Olympic gold high jumper who revolutionized the track and field event, died Sunday of lymphoma, according to his publicist Ray Schulte. Fosbury was 76.

www.cnn.com

View attachment 765596
Fosbury Flop

I remember the Olympics that year and he was promoted by the network a lot. Also, a lot less commercials.

 

[sealybobo]

High Jumping before Dick Fosbury

View attachment 765598

I invented a wrestling move. No one ever did it until I did it and now my high school teaches it and calls it the Sealybobo. Other schools call it that too.

Not really Sealybobo. My real last name is what they call it.

My dad was from Greece. He moved to Detroit and went to an all black school. The 60's riots were a lot of fun for him. Anyways, he tried out for his football team as a kicker. The other kickers were kicking straight on. Instinctively he did it soccer style. He was All City football. The Golden Toe Greek they called him.

They even built a statue of him

 

[katsteve2012]

I started HS Track in 1970. Two years after the introduction of the Fosbury Flop. By then, every new jumper was doing the flop. A few kept doing the old straddle technique. But those who converted from being straddle jumpers went from jumping 5’6 to 5’8 to jumping 5’10 or 6 feet.

That is how influential Dick Fosbury was.

RIP. He revolutionized the event of high jumping. The first time that I saw him perform that technique, I was amazed.

 

[sealybobo]

RIP. He revolutionized the event of high jumping. The first time that I saw him perform that technique, I was amazed.

 

[rightwinger]

Anyways, he tried out for his football team as a kicker. The other kickers were kicking straight on. Instinctively he did it soccer style. He was All City football. The Golden Toe Greek they called him.

Pete Gogolak was another who revolutionized his sport.
He played for the Bills and Giants in the 1960s
His soccer style kicking made people say……WTF?

By the mid 1970s, almost every kicker was kicking soccer style

 

[sealybobo]

Pete Gogolak was another who revolutionized his sport.
He played for the Bills and Giants in the 1960s
His soccer style kicking made people say……WTF?

By the mid 1970s, almost every kicker was kicking soccer style

My dad was born in 45. He was probably 17 at the time. That would be 1962.

He almost got a tryout with the Lions because we knew Alex Karras. A fellow Greek. But instead he got drafted into the ARMY and they had to get a politician to get him out. He had pluracy and to be honest, he couldn't shoot someone. Too much of a pussy.