Saturday, November 03, 2012

Milt Campbell (Plainfield HS, NJ; Indiana) 1933-2012

Milt Campbell From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the decathlete of the 1950s. For the blues vocalist, see Little Milton. For the 400 meter runner, see Milton Campbell.
Milt Campbell Medal record
Men's athletics
Competitor for the United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1956 Melbourne Decathlon
Silver 1952 Helsinki Decathlon

Milton Gray Campbell (born December 9, 1933, at Plainfield, New Jersey; died November 2, 2012 in Gainesville, Georgia[1]) was an American decathlete of the 1950s. In 1956, he became the first African American to win the gold medal in the decathlon of the Summer Olympic Games.[citation needed]

At Plainfield High School he competed in track and swimming.[2] He then enrolled at the Indiana University (Bloomington), where he played football and track.[3] While a student at Plainfield High School, Campbell won a place on the 1952 Olympic team in the decathlon. Although just 18 years old, Campbell finished second to Bob Mathias in the decathlon.[citation needed]

Campbell set New Jersey state records in the high and low hurdles and in the high jump, and scored 140 points as fullback in football. He was inducted into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1997.[3]

In 1956 at Melbourne, Campbell won the gold medal. He narrowly missed a world record. Many observers believe he would have set the record if not for a subpar performance in the pole vault.[citation needed]

Campbell was also an excellent swimmer as a youth. An all around athlete, Campbell briefly played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns[3] and in 1959 for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League.[citation needed]

Among Campbell's 3 children, his son Grant is a winner of the World Karate Championships.[citation needed]

In 2008, a degree of Doctor of Public Service, honoris causa, was conferred upon him by Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.[citation needed]

In 2012, Campbell was voted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.[4][citation needed]

[edit] References^ Milt Campbell, the greatest athlete in New Jersey history, dies at 78
^ "CAMPBELL CAPTURES TWO NEWARK EVENTS", The New York Times, February 28, 1953. Accessed November 6, 2007. "Milt Campbell, Plainfield High School star, won the first two events in the twenty-ninth Newark Athletic Club track and field championships today."
^ a b c Hall of Fame / Class of 1997, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed August 26, 2008.
^ "The Newark Star Ledger".
[hide]v t e Olympic champions in the men's all-around, pentathlon and decathlon

all-around 1904: Tom Kiely (GBR)

pentathlon 1912: Jim Thorpe (USA) / Ferdinand Bie (NOR) 1920: Eero Lehtonen (FIN) 1924: Eero Lehtonen (FIN)

decathlon 1912: Jim Thorpe (USA) / Hugo Wieslander (SWE) 1920: Helge Løvland (NOR) 1924: Harold Osborn (USA) 1928: Paavo Yrjölä (FIN) 1932: James Bausch (USA) 1936: Glenn Morris (USA) 1948: Bob Mathias (USA) 1952: Bob Mathias (USA) 1956: Milt Campbell (USA) 1960: Rafer Johnson (USA) 1964: Willi Holdorf (EUA) 1968: Bill Toomey (USA) 1972: Mykola Avilov (URS) 1976: Bruce Jenner (USA) 1980: Daley Thompson (GBR) 1984: Daley Thompson (GBR) 1988: Christian Schenk (GDR) 1992: Robert Změlík (TCH) 1996: Dan O'Brien (USA) 2000: Erki Nool (EST) 2004: Roman Šebrle (CZE) 2008: Bryan Clay (USA) 2012: Ashton Eaton (USA)

Persondata
Name Campbell, Milt
Alternative names
Short description Athletics (sport) competitor
Date of birth December 9, 1933
Place of birth
Date of death November 3, 2012
Place of death

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Milt_Campbell&oldid=521219930"

No comments: