Bob Seagren
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Seagren (born October 17, 1946) was an American
pole vault
er, the 1968 Olympic champion
.
A native of Pomona, California
, Bob Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU
and four NCAA
titles indoors and outdoors. Indoors he posted eight world bests between 1966 and 1969. He was also the Pan American Games
champion in 1967. He jumped his first world record
(5.32 m) in Fresno
on May 14, 1966, followed by his world records 1967 in San Diego (5.36 m), 1968 in South Lake Tahoe (5.41 m) and 1972 in Eugene
(5.63 m).
In 1968, Bob Seagren participated in his first Olympic Games
in Mexico City
. In an exciting contest, he won the gold medal with the top three vaulters, including silver medallist Claus Schiprowski
(West Germany
) and the bronze medal winner Wolfgang Nordwig
(East Germany) reaching the same height (5.40 m).
Four years later, in Munich
, he's best remembered for the Olympic gold medal he didn't get. In the 1972 Summer Olympics
, a last-minute ruling barred the new banana-Pole from Olympic competition, forcing some vaulters, including Seagren, to compete with unfamiliar poles. East German Wolfgang Nordwig didn't use a Cata-Pole and won the gold medal, with Seagren coming second. It was the first time an American had failed to win the Olympic gold medal in the pole vault. In fact, no American would again win a gold medal in the pole vault until Nick Hysong
won in 2000.
A 1968 University of Southern California
graduate, Seagren took a try at professional track and later he started his career in television
and movie
s as a show host and soap opera
actor
.
Seagren won the inaugural American Superstars
sports competition in 1973 as well as the first World Superstars in 1977, his lone victories in both events.
Bob Seagren went on to become an actor, appearing in several movies and television shows, including the controversial sitcom Soap
in 1977 in which he played Dennis Phillips, a gay
football
player in a relationship with Billy Crystal
's character Jodie Dallas
.
Today, he is CEO
of International City Racing, which specializes in the development, management, and implementation of road racing
, endurance
, and fitness events, including the Long Beach
International City Marathon. He is also an active supporter of the Commission on Athletics of the California Community Colleges.
He was named to the inaugural class of the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er, the 1968 Olympic champion
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
.
A native of Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, Bob Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
and four NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
titles indoors and outdoors. Indoors he posted eight world bests between 1966 and 1969. He was also the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
champion in 1967. He jumped his first world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
(5.32 m) in Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
on May 14, 1966, followed by his world records 1967 in San Diego (5.36 m), 1968 in South Lake Tahoe (5.41 m) and 1972 in Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
(5.63 m).
In 1968, Bob Seagren participated in his first Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. In an exciting contest, he won the gold medal with the top three vaulters, including silver medallist Claus Schiprowski
Claus Schiprowski
Claus Schiprowski is a West German Olympic silver medalist who competed mainly in the pole vault.He won his silver medal at the Mexico City 1968 Summer Olympics in the pole vault event....
(West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
) and the bronze medal winner Wolfgang Nordwig
Wolfgang Nordwig
Wolfgang Nordwig is a former East German pole vaulter who won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics with a clearance of 5.50 m . He was born in Chemnitz, Saxony.-References:...
(East Germany) reaching the same height (5.40 m).
Four years later, in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, he's best remembered for the Olympic gold medal he didn't get. In the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
, a last-minute ruling barred the new banana-Pole from Olympic competition, forcing some vaulters, including Seagren, to compete with unfamiliar poles. East German Wolfgang Nordwig didn't use a Cata-Pole and won the gold medal, with Seagren coming second. It was the first time an American had failed to win the Olympic gold medal in the pole vault. In fact, no American would again win a gold medal in the pole vault until Nick Hysong
Nick Hysong
Nick Hysong is an American athlete competing in the men's pole vault. Best known for winning the Olympic gold medal in 2000 with a personal best jump of 5.90 metres, he also won a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. Has excellent speed...
won in 2000.
A 1968 University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
graduate, Seagren took a try at professional track and later he started his career in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s as a show host and soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Seagren won the inaugural American Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
sports competition in 1973 as well as the first World Superstars in 1977, his lone victories in both events.
Bob Seagren went on to become an actor, appearing in several movies and television shows, including the controversial sitcom Soap
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
in 1977 in which he played Dennis Phillips, a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in a relationship with Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
's character Jodie Dallas
Jodie Dallas
Jodie Dallas is a fictional character from the 1977 American situation comedy Soap. He was played by Billy Crystal. The son of central character Mary Campbell, Jodie works as a television commercial director. Jodie was among the first gay characters on American television...
.
Today, he is CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of International City Racing, which specializes in the development, management, and implementation of road racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
, endurance
Endurance
Endurance is the ability for a human or animal to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fatigue. In humans, it is usually used in aerobic or anaerobic exercise...
, and fitness events, including the Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
International City Marathon. He is also an active supporter of the Commission on Athletics of the California Community Colleges.
He was named to the inaugural class of the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame.