Sim Iness
Encyclopedia
Simeon Garland Iness (July 9, 1930 in Keota
, Oklahoma
– May 23, 1996 in Porterville
, California
) was an American
discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist.
As a child of sharecroppers, in 1934 his family left Oklahoma
due to the on set of the dust bowl and moved to the small San Joaquin Valley
town of Tulare
, California
. There he became lifelong friends with fellow classmate and teammate at Tulare Union High School
and Olympic team-mate, decathlon champion Bob Mathias
.
Iness first attended college at Compton Junior College, where he won the National Junior College discus championship in 1949. He was also a member of the winning Compton football squad along with future NFL Hall of Famer "Hurricane" Hugh McElhenny
, which won the 1948 Junior Rose Bowl game, becoming National Junior College champions. He then transferred to the University of Southern California
where he won the NCAA discus championship in 1952 and 1953.
Iness competed for the United States in the 1952 Summer Olympics
held in Helsinki
, Finland
in the discus throw where he won the gold medal with a throw of 55.03 m. His gold medal triumph started the longest USA winning streak in the discus event in modern Olympic history. He set the discus world's record on June 28, 1953 in Lincoln
, Nebraska
at 57,93 m, being the first man to throw over 190 feet. He went on to appear in two Hollywood films, "Lady Godiva" with Maureen O'Hara
and "Sign of the Pagan" with Jack Palance
and Jeff Chandler
, both in 1954. He was an Olympic torch-bearer for the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.
After his Olympic and world record triumph, Iness worked the rest of his life as a high school and college physical education teacher, track and football coach, and education counselor. "Sim Iness Gymnasium" can be found on the campus of Sim's alma-mater, Tulare Union High School
. The Sim Iness Collection is housed at the Tulare City Historical Museum.
Keota, Oklahoma
Keota is a town in Haskell County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 517 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Keota is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
– May 23, 1996 in Porterville
Porterville, California
Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. Porterville's population was 54,165 at the 2010 census. The city's population grew dramatically as the city annexed many properties and unincorporated areas in and around Porterville. Not included in the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist.
As a child of sharecroppers, in 1934 his family left Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
due to the on set of the dust bowl and moved to the small San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
town of Tulare
Tulare, California
Tulare is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 59,278 at the 2010 census.Just eight miles south of Visalia, it is part of the Census Bureau's designation of the Visalia Metropolitan Area. The city is named for the currently dry Tulare Lake, once the largest...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. There he became lifelong friends with fellow classmate and teammate at Tulare Union High School
Tulare Union High School
Tulare Union High School is a public school for secondary education in Tulare, California, USA. The school's mascot is The Redskins. This high school is administered within the Tulare Joint Union High School District, along with Tulare Western High School and Mission Oak High School,...
and Olympic team-mate, decathlon champion Bob Mathias
Bob Mathias
Robert Bruce "Bob" Mathias was an American decathlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist, actor and United States Congressman representing the state of California.-Early life and athletic career:...
.
Iness first attended college at Compton Junior College, where he won the National Junior College discus championship in 1949. He was also a member of the winning Compton football squad along with future NFL Hall of Famer "Hurricane" Hugh McElhenny
Hugh McElhenny
Hugh Edward McElhenny is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played from 1952–1964, for the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions. He was noted for his explosive, elusive running style and was frequently called "The...
, which won the 1948 Junior Rose Bowl game, becoming National Junior College champions. He then transferred to the 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...
where he won the NCAA discus championship in 1952 and 1953.
Iness competed for the United States in the 1952 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics
At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, 33 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 9 for women. There were a total number of 963 participating athletes from 57 countries.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:...
held in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in the discus throw where he won the gold medal with a throw of 55.03 m. His gold medal triumph started the longest USA winning streak in the discus event in modern Olympic history. He set the discus world's record on June 28, 1953 in Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
at 57,93 m, being the first man to throw over 190 feet. He went on to appear in two Hollywood films, "Lady Godiva" with Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara is an Irish film actress and singer. The famously red-headed O'Hara has been noted for playing fiercely passionate heroines with a highly sensible attitude. She often worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne...
and "Sign of the Pagan" with Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
and Jeff Chandler
Jeff Chandler (actor)
Jeff Chandler was an American film actor and singer in the 1950s.-Early life:Chandler was born Ira Grossel to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Anna and Phillip Grossel. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, the alma mater of many stage and film personalities...
, both in 1954. He was an Olympic torch-bearer for the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.
After his Olympic and world record triumph, Iness worked the rest of his life as a high school and college physical education teacher, track and football coach, and education counselor. "Sim Iness Gymnasium" can be found on the campus of Sim's alma-mater, Tulare Union High School
Tulare Union High School
Tulare Union High School is a public school for secondary education in Tulare, California, USA. The school's mascot is The Redskins. This high school is administered within the Tulare Joint Union High School District, along with Tulare Western High School and Mission Oak High School,...
. The Sim Iness Collection is housed at the Tulare City Historical Museum.