John Anderson (discus thrower)
![]() John Anderson at the 1932 Olympics | ||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||
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Born | July 4, 1907 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | |||||||||||
Died | July 11, 1948 (aged 41) Nankek, Alaska, United States | |||||||||||
Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||
Weight | 97 kg (214 lb) | |||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||
Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||
Event(s) | Discus throw, shot put | |||||||||||
Club | NYAC, New York | |||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | DT – 50.62 m (1936) SP – 15.01 m (1933)[1] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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John Franklin Anderson (July 4, 1907 – July 11, 1948) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw. He won the gold medal in this event at the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, United States.[2]
Anderson graduated from Cornell University in 1929, where he was a member of the Quill and Dagger society.
Prior to graduation from Cornell, he placed fifth at the 1928 Olympics in the discus throw. He later improved to beat the world record holder, Paul Jessup, at the 1932 Final Trials. He then took the gold medal in Los Angeles with a new Olympic record. He won the AAU title in 1933 and in June 1936 he had the best throw of his career in winning the Eastern Olympic Trials, 165-9 (50.62 m), but he failed to make a third consecutive Olympic team. Anderson was also an above-average performer with the shot (49 feet) and won the 1929 IC4A indoor shot put title. While at Cornell, Anderson played tackle on the football team for three years, was on the track team for three years, captaining it as a senior, and was president of the student council in his last year. Anderson was thought by Hollywood to have "dazzling masculine beauty" and after the 1932 Olympics he stayed on in California to star in the film Search for Beauty (the role went to Buster Crabbe). Later, experience gained in the Pacific during the war as a lieutenant commander in the naval reserve led to his obtaining a post as chief navigator of a salmon fishing fleet. While on an expedition some 700 miles north of Anchorage, he suffered a brain hemorrhage and died immediately, aged only 41.[2][3]
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ John Anderson. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ a b "John Anderson Bio, Stats and Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Cordner Nelson (1970) Track and Field, The Great Ones, Hardcover, Pelham
- 1907 births
- 1948 deaths
- Sportspeople from Cincinnati
- American male discus throwers
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Olympic track and field athletes of the United States
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field
- Cornell Big Red football players
- Players of American football from Ohio
- Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- American track and field athletics Olympic medalist stubs