Bob Mathias
Encyclopedia
Robert Bruce "Bob" Mathias (November 17, 1930 – September 2, 2006) was an American
decathlete
, two-time Olympic
gold medalist, actor
and United States Congressman
representing the state of California
.
. He attended Tulare Union High School, where he was classmates and long time friends with Sim Iness
, 1952 Olympic discus gold medalist. While at Tulare Union, Mathias took up the decathlon in early 1948, at the suggestion of his track coach, Virgil Jackson. During the summer after his high school graduation, he qualified for the United States
Olympic team for the 1948 Summer Olympics
held in London
.
In the Olympics, Mathias's naïveté about the decathlon was exposed http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-mathias3sep03,1,7694410.story?coll=la-news-obituaries. He was unaware of the rules in the shot put
and nearly fouled out of the event. He almost failed in the high jump
but was able to recover. Mathias overcame his difficulties and won the Olympic gold medal easily. He was the youngest gold medalist to win a track and field event.
Mathias continued to fare well in decathlons in the four years between the London games and the 1952 Summer Olympics
in Helsinki
. In 1948, Mathias won the James E. Sullivan Award
as the nation's top amateur athlete, but because his scholastic record in high school did not match his athletic achievement, he spent a year at The Kiski School
, a well-respected all boys boarding school in Saltsburg
, Pennsylvania
. He then entered Stanford University
in 1949, played college football
for two years and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta
fraternity. Mathias set his first decathlon world record in 1950 and led Stanford to a Rose Bowl
appearance in 1952.
At Helsinki, Mathias asserted himself as one of the world's best athletes. He won the decathlon by 912 points, an astounding margin, becoming the first to successfully defend an Olympic decathlon title. He returned to the United States as a national hero. In 1952, he was, therefore, the first person to ever compete in an Olympics and a Rose Bowl the same year. After the 1952 Olympics, Mathias retired from athletic competition. He later became the first director of the United States Olympic Training Center
, a post he held from 1977 to 1983.
He and his wife Melba can be seen on the 29th April 1954 edition of You Bet Your Life
. During the discussion he mentions a forthcoming film in which the couple played themselves, called The Bob Mathias Story. He also starred in a number of mostly cameo-type roles in a variety of movies and TV shows throughout the 1950s. In the 1959-1960 television season, Mathias played Frank Dugan, with costars Keenan Wynn
as Kodiak and Chet Allen
as Slats, in the NBC
adventure
series The Troubleshooters
, which focused twenty-six episodes on events at construction sites.
as a Republican
, representing the northern San Joaquin Valley
of California. He defeated Harlan Hagen
, the 14-year Democratic Party
incumbent, by about 11 percent in the 1966 election. This was not too surprising, since this area had started to pull away from its New Deal
Democratic roots.
Mathias was re-elected three times without serious difficulty, but in 1974, his district's boundaries were radically altered in a mid-decade redistricting. His district was renumbered as the 17th District, and picked up a large chunk of Fresno
while losing several rural areas. Mathias was then narrowly defeated for re-election by John Hans Krebs
, a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Mathias was one of several Republicans reputedly swept out in the wake of the Watergate scandal
.
From June to August 1975, Mathias served as the Deputy Director of the Selective Service. Mathias was also involved in the unsuccessful 1976 Presidential re-election campaign of President
Gerald Ford
.
Bob Mathias suffered from cancer, and he died of this disease in Fresno, California
on September 2, 2006, aged 75.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
decathlete
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
, two-time Olympic
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...
gold medalist, 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...
and United States Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
representing the state of 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...
.
Early life and athletic career
Mathias was born in Tulare, CaliforniaTulare, 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...
. He attended Tulare Union High School, where he was classmates and long time friends with Sim Iness
Sim Iness
Simeon Garland Iness was an American discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist....
, 1952 Olympic discus gold medalist. While at Tulare Union, Mathias took up the decathlon in early 1948, at the suggestion of his track coach, Virgil Jackson. During the summer after his high school graduation, he qualified for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Olympic team for the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In the Olympics, Mathias's naïveté about the decathlon was exposed http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-mathias3sep03,1,7694410.story?coll=la-news-obituaries. He was unaware of the rules in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
and nearly fouled out of the event. He almost failed in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
but was able to recover. Mathias overcame his difficulties and won the Olympic gold medal easily. He was the youngest gold medalist to win a track and field event.
Mathias continued to fare well in decathlons in the four years between the London games and the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
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...
. In 1948, Mathias won the James E. Sullivan Award
James E. Sullivan Award
The James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...
as the nation's top amateur athlete, but because his scholastic record in high school did not match his athletic achievement, he spent a year at The Kiski School
The Kiski School
The Kiski School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh. It is the oldest remaining non-military all-male boarding school in the United States....
, a well-respected all boys boarding school in Saltsburg
Saltsburg, Pennsylvania
Saltsburg is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 955 at the 2000 census. The town was based on the construction of salt wells and the canals and railroad tracks that passed through it.-Geography:...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He then entered Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1949, played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for two years and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
fraternity. Mathias set his first decathlon world record in 1950 and led Stanford to a Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
appearance in 1952.
At Helsinki, Mathias asserted himself as one of the world's best athletes. He won the decathlon by 912 points, an astounding margin, becoming the first to successfully defend an Olympic decathlon title. He returned to the United States as a national hero. In 1952, he was, therefore, the first person to ever compete in an Olympics and a Rose Bowl the same year. After the 1952 Olympics, Mathias retired from athletic competition. He later became the first director of the United States Olympic Training Center
United States Olympic Training Center
The United States Olympic Training Centers are three campuses created by the United States Olympic Committee as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Lake Placid, New York; and Chula Vista, California. There is a U.S. Olympic...
, a post he held from 1977 to 1983.
He and his wife Melba can be seen on the 29th April 1954 edition of You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September...
. During the discussion he mentions a forthcoming film in which the couple played themselves, called The Bob Mathias Story. He also starred in a number of mostly cameo-type roles in a variety of movies and TV shows throughout the 1950s. In the 1959-1960 television season, Mathias played Frank Dugan, with costars Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
as Kodiak and Chet Allen
Chet Allen (actor)
-Life and career:Allen was born in Chickasha, the seat of Grady County, Oklahoma.Allen was known for his supporting role as the 31-year-old "Slats" in the 1959-1960 NBC adventure/drama television series The Troubleshooters with costars Keenan Wynn and Bob Mathias...
as Slats, in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
series The Troubleshooters
The Troubleshooters (1959 TV series)
The Troubleshooters is a 26-segment half-hour adventure series starring Keenan Wynn as Kodiak and Bob Mathias as Frank Dugan, which aired new episodes on NBC Television from September 11, 1959, to April 10, 1960. Based on unusual events at international construction sites, the program was...
, which focused twenty-six episodes on events at construction sites.
Political career
Between 1967 and 1975, Matthias served four terms in the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, representing the northern 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...
of California. He defeated Harlan Hagen
Harlan Hagen
Harlan Francis Hagen was a United States Representative from California. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1953 to 1967, representing the 14th District of California....
, the 14-year Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
incumbent, by about 11 percent in the 1966 election. This was not too surprising, since this area had started to pull away from its New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
Democratic roots.
Mathias was re-elected three times without serious difficulty, but in 1974, his district's boundaries were radically altered in a mid-decade redistricting. His district was renumbered as the 17th District, and picked up a large chunk of Fresno
Fresno
Fresno is the fifth largest city in California.Fresno may also refer to:-Places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nidáliga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos* Aldea del Fresno, Madrid* Fresno de la Vega, Ribera del Esla, León...
while losing several rural areas. Mathias was then narrowly defeated for re-election by John Hans Krebs
John Hans Krebs
John Hans Krebs is a former U.S. Representative from California.Born in Berlin, Germany, Krebs moved to Israel in 1933 and attended Balfour School , 1937.He graduated from Ben Yehuda College in 1945....
, a member of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Mathias was one of several Republicans reputedly swept out in the wake of the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
.
From June to August 1975, Mathias served as the Deputy Director of the Selective Service. Mathias was also involved in the unsuccessful 1976 Presidential re-election campaign of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
.
Bob Mathias suffered from cancer, and he died of this disease in Fresno, California
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 September 2, 2006, aged 75.
Timeline
| Year | Comment |
| November 17, 1930 | Bob Mathias was born, the second of four children to Dr. Charles and Lillian Mathias. |
| 1948 | At age seventeen, graduated from Tulare high school after an illustrious high school athletic career in football and track and field Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area... . Wins National Decathlon Championship at Bloomfield, N.J. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team and went on to win gold medal in decathlon at the Summer Olympic Games Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that... in London, England. After huge celebration and parade in Tulare, presented with "Key to the City" by Mayor Elmo Zumwalt. Enrolls at Kiskiminetas Prep School, Saltsburg, Pa. Honored with the James E. Sullivan Award James E. Sullivan Award The James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past... , presented each year to America's top amateur athlete. |
| 1949 | Won National Decathlon Championship at meet staged in Tulare. Enrolled at Stanford University Stanford University The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San... , where he starred in track and field Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area... and in gridiron football. |
| 1950 | Won National Decathlon Championship at a meet held in Tulare. |
| 1951 | On New Year's Day, he played fullback for Stanford University in the Rose Bowl. Mathias played football during junior and senior years at Stanford. In 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... vs. Stanford football game, Mathias returned U.S.C.'s Frank Gifford Frank Gifford Francis Newton "Frank" Gifford is a Hall of Fame former American football player and American sportscaster.-Early life:Gifford was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Lola Mae and Weldon Gifford, an oil driller.... 's kick-off 96 yards for a touchdown. Spent the summer at U.S. Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego, California San Diego, California San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round... . |
| 1952 | Won the National Decathlon Championship at meet held in Tulare. Made the U.S. Olympic Team again, and won the Olympic Gold Medal in the decathlon at Helsinki, Finland, setting a record for points scored in a decathlon. |
| 1953 | Graduated from Stanford. Drafted by the Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... , though he never played in National Football League National Football League The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... . |
| 1954 | Married his first wife, Melba. They later had three daughters, Romel, Megan, and Marissa. Mathias and his wife starred in the movie "The Bob Mathias Story." Entered active duty in the Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal... . |
| 1954-56 | Visited more than forty countries as America's Good Will Ambassador. |
| 1956-60 | Continued work for the State Department as a Good Will Ambassador to the world. Acting career took off, employed by John Wayne. Starred in the movie "China Doll" with Victor Mature, the TV series "The Troubleshooters" with Keenan Wynn, as King Theseus in the movie "Theseus and the Minotaur" and in the movie "It Happened in Athens," opposite Jayne Mansfield. |
| 1966 | Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican, serving four two-year terms. |
| 1974 | Lost his re-election for fifth term. |
| 1976 | Mathias and wife, Melba, divorced. |
| 1977 | Appointed director of U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Bob and Gwendoyln Alexander married. Gwen has one daughter Alyse, from a prior marriage to Bill Alexander, former U.S. Congressman. Bob also has a son, Reiner, born outside of wedlock. Tulare high school stadium renamed in Mathias's honor. |
| 1983 | Appointed executive director of the National Fitness Foundation. |
| 1988 | Returned to the Central Valley, in rural Fresno County. |
| 1996 | Sim Iness Sim Iness Simeon Garland Iness was an American discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist.... died. He was Mathias's high school classmate and the winner of the Gold Medal in the discus throw Discus throw The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus... during the 1952 Olympic Games. Doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in Mathias's throat. |
| June 6, 1998 | "Across the Fields of Gold," a tribute dinner honoring Mathias on the 50th anniversary of his first Olympic medal, was held in Tulare. More than 300 people attended, including Olympic medal-winners Sammy Lee, Bill Toomey, Dave Johnson and Pat McCormick, and Sim Iness' widow, Dolores. |
External links
- The Official Bob Mathias Website
- Bob Mathias biography at USA Track and Field
- Boy-wonder Mathias elevated decathlon ESPN.com, 2005.
- Mathias dead at 75, Sports Illustrated.comSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, September 2, 2006 - Former congressman Bob Mathias dies at 75, USA Today retrieved September 5, 2007