Track and field legend Al Oerter dies

He was 71.

He and Carl Lewis the only people to win gold medals in the same sport in four Olympics, I believe.

 

I guess that God needed a discus thrower.

 

Here's a link

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071001/SPORTS/71001017/1075

 

THE biggest Olympic T&F star of my youth.
He's in the mental hamper with John Thomas, Valeri Brumel, Igor Ter-Ovaneysian, and Parry O'Brien. And Jim McKay, reporting LIVE, via SATELLITE, from Lenin Stadium.
Those US-USSR meets were great.

 

RIP

 

For us old-timers, Fenian just nailed it.
Oerter was a larger than life figure in the Olympics and those old US-USSR meets that were so hyped every year.
He also was a good guy who used to show up now and then a various pressers promoting an indoor meet called the US Olympic Invitaonal that used to be held at The Garden.

And yes, F of a F, he and Carl Lewis are the only athletes to win the same Olympic T&F event 4 times.

 

Sirs, Madames,

How the hell did he uncork the 2nd longest throw in the world in 1980? That's as impressive as anything he ever did.

There was a story years back on how one of his Olympic medals was destroyed by some Hollywood idiots who borrowed it for the production of Goldengirl (a gawdawful Susan Anton vehicle).

YHS, etc

 

Great obit by Frank Litzky of the NY Times:


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/sports/othersports/01cnd-oerter.html?hp

 

RIP

great guy and a good ambassador of the sport for a long time

sad.

very nice piece by Frank

 

RIP. What an amazing athlete.

 

RIP from a fellow Jayhawk.

 

In his hey day, he was, pardon the pun, good as gold. RIP.