John Uelses
Encyclopedia
John Uelses is a retired American
pole vaulter and Corporal
in the United States Marine Corps
who graduated from La Salle University
in Philadelphia in 1965. He was the first person to ever pole vault
16' (4.88 m) he held the world record in the pole vault for a short time with his personal best of 4.89 m. Uelses being one of the first vaulters to jump on a fiberglass
pole, made this new style of vaulting pole the standard with is 16' jump. He was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Feb 26 1962. As a member of the Explorer track team, won the NCAA pole vault championship in 1964, 3 IC4A championships and 2 MAC championships in the event. Also played soccer for La Salle.
Uelses, one of the first vaulters to jump on a fiberglass
pole, made this new style of vaulting pole the standard with his 16' jump. His jumped also landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Feb 26 1962. At the time of his record breaking jumps,Uelses was a Corporal in the U.S. Marines stationed in Quantico, Virginia. He was part of the U. S. track team traveling and competing all over the world. He vaulted and won medals in Russia, Poland, Finland, Japan, Germany and England. Uelses dreams of the 1964 Olympics were shattered when he was unable to qualify at the Olympic trials.
After leaving the Marines, Uelses received a scholarsip to La Salle University in Philadelphia. John was a member of the Explorer track team He won the NCAA pole vault championship in 1964, 3 IC4A championships and 2 MAC championships in the event. NCAA All American. Uelses also played soccer for La Salle.
Upon graduating from La Salle, Uelses served as a U. S. Naval Officer. After completing flight school in Pensacola, Uelses served as a member of F-4 phantom fighter squadrons and was a member of the first F-14 Tomcat fighter squadron, VF-1. Uelses squadrons were stationed on the USS Ranger and the USS Enterprise.
U.S. Track and Field Pole Vault Hall of Fame
Florida Hall of Fame
La Salle University Hall of Fame
1964
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pole vaulter and Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
who graduated from La Salle University
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...
in Philadelphia in 1965. He was the first person to ever 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...
16' (4.88 m) he held the world record in the pole vault for a short time with his personal best of 4.89 m. Uelses being one of the first vaulters to jump on a fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
pole, made this new style of vaulting pole the standard with is 16' jump. He was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Feb 26 1962. As a member of the Explorer track team, won the NCAA pole vault championship in 1964, 3 IC4A championships and 2 MAC championships in the event. Also played soccer for La Salle.
Career
Four time World Record holder in Pole Vault. John was a world class track and field athlete. He was the first in history to clear 16 ft. breaking both the indoor and outdoor records. Sixteen feet was seen to be a psychological barrier similar to breaking the four minute mile. His first record over 16' was 16' 1/4" at a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden on February 2, 1962. A week later he again jumped over 16', this time in Boston. He later made a world record outdoor jump in Santa Barbara, California clearing 16'3/4".Uelses, one of the first vaulters to jump on a fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
pole, made this new style of vaulting pole the standard with his 16' jump. His jumped also landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated on Feb 26 1962. At the time of his record breaking jumps,Uelses was a Corporal in the U.S. Marines stationed in Quantico, Virginia. He was part of the U. S. track team traveling and competing all over the world. He vaulted and won medals in Russia, Poland, Finland, Japan, Germany and England. Uelses dreams of the 1964 Olympics were shattered when he was unable to qualify at the Olympic trials.
After leaving the Marines, Uelses received a scholarsip to La Salle University in Philadelphia. John was a member of the Explorer track team He won the NCAA pole vault championship in 1964, 3 IC4A championships and 2 MAC championships in the event. NCAA All American. Uelses also played soccer for La Salle.
Upon graduating from La Salle, Uelses served as a U. S. Naval Officer. After completing flight school in Pensacola, Uelses served as a member of F-4 phantom fighter squadrons and was a member of the first F-14 Tomcat fighter squadron, VF-1. Uelses squadrons were stationed on the USS Ranger and the USS Enterprise.
U.S. Track and Field Pole Vault Hall of Fame
Florida Hall of Fame
La Salle University Hall of Fame
Achievements
1962- Jan 21, Washington, DC - 4.83 m (15'10¼") World Record
- Feb 2, Milllrose Games, NY - 4.88 m (16'1/4") World Record
- Feb 9, Boston Indoor Games, Ma -4.89 m (16'3/4") World Record
- Mar 31, Santa Barbara, CA - 4.89 m (16'¾") World Record
1964
- 1st place USA Track and Field Indoor Championships - 4.72 m (15'6")
- 1st place NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships - 4.87 m (16'0")
- NCAA All-American