Ronald Hugh Morris (April 27, 1935 – May 31, 2024) was an American track and field athlete who won the national title in pole vault in 1958, 1961 and 1962.[3] He placed fourth at the 1959 Pan American Games and second at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[4] Morris vaulted 15 ft 0 in (4.57 m) in June 1971 for a Masters M35 World Record at the 1971 Los Angeles Senior Olympics. After retiring from competitions, he worked as athletics coach.[1] Morris competed for the USC Trojans track and field team.[4] He died on May 31, 2024, at the age of 89.[5]
His athletic and coaching experience includes:
- 1952–1953 Two time California Interscholastic Pole Vault and U.S. Interscholastic Record Holder[1]
- 1955–1957 Twice Intercollegiate All-American and University of Southern California Pole Vault Record Holder
- 1956 Sixth man in history to clear 15 feet
- 1956–1966 Eight times AAU All-American – ranked in the top 10 in the world for ten years
- 1960 Silver Medal in XVII Olympiad, Rome, Italy
- 1962 Only World Class athlete to successfully convert from steel to fiberglass (ranked #1 in the world that year)
- 1978 Ranked by Track and Field News as the 2nd Best Pole Vaulter (longevity) in history
- 1960–1978 Track Coach at California State University, Los Angeles (prepared several All-American athletes)
- 1978–? Owner and operator of On Track
References
- ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ron Morris". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
- ^ Ron Morris. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ "Men's US Outdoor Champions..." USA Pole Vaulting. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Tosches, Rick (January 17, 1986). "Brooks Morris Follows in His Father's Steps". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^ Riggio, Jim (June 3, 2024). "Olympic Silver Medalist Ron Morris Dies at 89". My Burbank. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
External links
- Ron Morris pole vaulting at the 1960 Olympics
- CEO of On Track
- Ron Morris at Olympics.com
- Ron Morris at Olympedia
