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Pete Rasmus

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Peter Rasmus (May 5, 1906 – February 6, 1975) was an American discus thrower. Rasmus won the NCAA discus championship in 1929, breaking the meeting record and exceeding the officially listed world record.

Career

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Rasmus attended Ohio State University from 1926 to 1929, winning several individual and team titles with the Ohio State Buckeyes. As a freshman he was only a 125 ft (38 m) thrower,[1] but he improved rapidly, winning the 1927 Big Ten championship[1] and placing sixth at the NCAA championships.[2]

Rasmus repeated as Big Ten champion in 1928 and 1929.[3][4] In March 1929 he threw 157 ft (47.85 m) in Dallas, less than half a meter down on Bud Houser's official world record of 158 ft 1+3⁄4 in (48.20 m).[3][5]

At the 1929 NCAA meet Rasmus was up against two throwers who had unofficially broken Houser's record earlier that year, Eric Krenz of Stanford and Ed Moeller of Oregon.[6][7] The field also included 1928 Olympian (and 1932 Olympic champion) John Anderson of Cornell, and future world record holder Paul Jessup of Washington.[2]

Rasmus led the preliminary rounds with a throw of 159 ft 1+7⁄8 in (48.51 m), breaking the meeting record and exceeding Houser's still official world record.[8][9] Moeller had an even longer throw, but fouled.[9] Rasmus' mark held up in the final rounds, and he won the championship;[2] as he had broken Houser's mark, his throw was publicized as a new world record,[9][10] but it was inferior to the unratified records of Krenz and Moeller and, as Krenz's record was eventually ratified, never received an official status.[11][12]

Led by Rasmus and sprinter George Simpson, Ohio State also won the 1929 NCAA team title, their first in any sport.[13][14] Rasmus graduated from Ohio State that year, but continued competing occasionally;[15] he unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for the 1932 Summer Olympics.[16]

Legacy

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Rasmus was inducted in the Ohio State Varsity "O" Hall of Fame in 1989.[13][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Notes of the Campus" (PDF). The Ohio State Engineer. November 1927. hdl:1811/34287. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved October 31, 2014.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Ohio Athlete After Additional Honors". The Norwalk Hour. April 24, 1929. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  4. ^ Griffith, John L. (1929). "Big Ten" Book of Athletic Events (PDF). Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  5. ^ "Bracey Breaks World's Mark For Century". Reading Eagle. March 31, 1929. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  6. ^ "Moeller, Oregon Discus Man, To Leave For National Meet". Eugene Register-Guard. May 31, 1929. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  7. ^ "Breaks Record". The Milwaukee Journal. March 10, 1929. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  8. ^ "More NCAA Champs". The Daily Herald. Provo, UT. June 4, 1975. p. 98. Retrieved December 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ a b c Dunkley, Charles W. (June 8, 1929). "Rasmus, Ace of Ohio, New Weight King". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  10. ^ Dunkley, Charles W. (June 9, 1929). "Ohio Sprint Star Sets New Record". Ludington Daily News. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  11. ^ "Ohio State University Yearbook". 1930. p. 129. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  12. ^ Butler, Mark; IAAF Media & Public Relations Department (2011). IAAF Statistics Handbook Daegu 2011. International Association of Athletics Federations.
  13. ^ a b "Men's Varsity "O" Hall of Fame". Ohio State Buckeyes. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  14. ^ "Ohio State Wins Western Track Meet". The Sunday Morning Star. June 9, 1929. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  15. ^ "Star Tracksters Will Compete In Cincinnati Meet". Evening Independent. June 9, 1930. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  16. ^ "Cleveland Athlete Seeks Discus Throw Honors at Los Angeles". Salt Lake Tribune. May 17, 1932. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  17. ^ "Three voted into Buckeye hall". Toledo Blade. July 17, 1989. Retrieved October 31, 2014.


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