Athlete. The 1940 graduate of Lincoln High School earned his way into a very elite club of Nebraska athletes who held a best-in-the-nation record while in high school. His 174-foot discus throw in 1940 was a national high school record which lasted through World War II. One of the most versatile athletes in state history, he was an all-state halfback for two years on a Lincoln High teams with a winning record of 23-1-1. At the 1940 boys state track meet, he won gold medals in the pole vault, discus, shot put and the javelin. While a student at the University of Nebraska he won the discus event at the 1943 NCAA outdoor national track meet and in the NCAA national championships in 1943, he scored 19 points for the Huskers. Scores of boys grew up in Nebraska inspired by the accomplishments of this great athlete, who perhaps was Lincoln High’s best-ever athlete.
