Geoff Vanderstock
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Peter "Geoff" Vanderstock (born October 8, 1946 in Chicago
, Illinois
) (also known as Jeff) is an American track and field
athlete primarily known for running hurdles. He was once the World Record holder in the 400 metres hurdles
. His 48.94 was set at the high altitude United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
at Echo Summit
, California
on September 11, 1968. The hand time took .3 off the previous record held by Rex Cawley
. A month later at the 1968 Summer Olympics
, he finished 4th in a tight race between 2nd place and 4th place, and given a time of 49.06, while watching David Hemery
demolish his world record running 48.12. See the Olympic race on youtube
competing for Pomona Catholic High School
which is now known as Damien High School
. At the Golden West Invitational
, the equivalent of a National High School Championship meet, he tied for 3rd in 120y HH in 14.2 and was also 3rd in the 180y LH in 19.0. During that season he was also a 6'4" high jump
er and pole vault
ed 13'6".
He next competed for the Mt. San Antonio College
, where he took up the 400 metres hurdles
, achieving second at the AAU
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
and setting the national junior college record at 51.2. While at Mt. SAC, he also joined future pole vault
gold medalist Bob Seagren
in setting the national junior college record in the shuttle hurdles relay. He then went to the University of Southern California
, finishing third in the 1968 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
s and was a two time All-American He was ranked in the top ten American 400 metre hurdlers 5 straight years 1965-1969, including two years, 1966 and 1968 ranked as number one.
He is now a San Fernando Valley
real estate
broker. He appeared in the 1979 track and field oriented movie Goldengirl
, the 1986 movie Tango and Cash and made a couple of appearances in the 1987 FOX
comedy TV series Mr. President
.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) (also known as Jeff) is an American 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...
athlete primarily known for running hurdles. He was once the World Record holder in the 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
. His 48.94 was set at the high altitude United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
at Echo Summit
Echo Summit
Echo Summit is a mountain pass located in eastern El Dorado County, California, USA. At an elevation of , it is the highest point on U.S...
, 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...
on September 11, 1968. The hand time took .3 off the previous record held by Rex Cawley
Rex Cawley
Warren Jay Cawley is a former American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 1964 Summer Olympics.Born in Highland Park, Michigan, Rex Cawley still holds the record time for the 100 yard dash at Farmington High School that he set in 1959...
. A month later at the 1968 Summer Olympics
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...
, he finished 4th in a tight race between 2nd place and 4th place, and given a time of 49.06, while watching David Hemery
David Hemery
David Peter Hemery, CBE, is a British former athlete, winner of the 400m hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics.He was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but his father's work took the family to the United States, where he attended school and graduated from Boston University.Hemery's first...
demolish his world record running 48.12. See the Olympic race on youtube
Early career
In high school, he finished 4th in the 120 yard high hurdles, running 14.2 at the 1964 CIF California State MeetCIF California State Meet
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet...
competing for Pomona Catholic High School
Pomona Catholic High School
Pomona Catholic High School is a four-year Archdiocesan high school for girls in Pomona on Holt and White. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.-History:...
which is now known as Damien High School
Damien High School
Damien High School is a private, all-male Roman Catholic high school in La Verne, California named for Saint Damien of Molokai. The school had its first graduating class in 1963. Each of Damien's freshmen classes draws from an average of over 75 different elementary and junior high schools for...
. At the Golden West Invitational
Golden West Invitational
The Golden West Invitational high school track & field all-star meet brings together top high school athletes from throughout the country and provides them with the very highest levels of competition...
, the equivalent of a National High School Championship meet, he tied for 3rd in 120y HH in 14.2 and was also 3rd in the 180y LH in 19.0. During that season he was also a 6'4" 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....
er and 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...
ed 13'6".
He next competed for the Mt. San Antonio College
Mt. San Antonio College
Mt. San Antonio College is a community college located in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, California, 2.12 miles west of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona ....
, where he took up the 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
, achieving second at the AAU
AAU
-Education:* Aalborg University, in Denmark* Academy of Art University,in San Francisco* Addis Ababa University, in Ethiopia* Allied American University, brand used by Allied Schools in California, United States* Alpen-Adria-University of Klagenfurt, in Austria...
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
and setting the national junior college record at 51.2. While at Mt. SAC, he also joined future 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...
gold medalist Bob Seagren
Bob Seagren
Robert "Bob" Seagren was an American pole vaulter, 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...
in setting the national junior college record in the shuttle hurdles relay. He then went 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...
, finishing third in the 1968 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It has three divisions: Division I, II, and III. Athlete's individual performances earn points for their institution and...
s and was a two time All-American He was ranked in the top ten American 400 metre hurdlers 5 straight years 1965-1969, including two years, 1966 and 1968 ranked as number one.
He is now a San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
broker. He appeared in the 1979 track and field oriented movie Goldengirl
Goldengirl
Goldengirl is a 1979 film directed by Joseph Sargent, loosely based on a science-fiction novel by Peter Lear, a pseudonym of Peter Lovesey. The screenplay was by John Kohn, with music by Bill Conti....
, the 1986 movie Tango and Cash and made a couple of appearances in the 1987 FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
comedy TV series Mr. President
Mr. President (TV series)
Mr. President was a United States television series starring George C. Scott that premiered on May 3, 1987. It was part of the Fox Broadcasting Company's premiere season of prime time entertainment, alongside Married... With Children, The Tracey Ullman Show, and Duet.-Cast:*George C. Scott ... ...
.