An athlete who starred in basketball at Oregon went on to bring his alma mater glory as a track athlete. He began running at the age of 26 and ended his brilliant career three years later with a life full of memories. He captured the first of two national 400-meter titles a year after starting to compete and then was one of America’s stars in the 1960 Olympics.

He won the Olympic gold medal with a world record of 44.9 seconds and also ran the anchor on the U.S. gold medal-winning 4x400-meter relay team that also established a world mark. He was the first Oregon athlete to win the coveted gold
medal, albeit two years after graduation. He then began a career coaching and  teaching in the U.S. and Germany after retirement from running.