Pete Clentzos, 1932.

There are certain people you simply believe will be around forever. So it was with Pete Clentzos, pole vaulter, coach and educator, and the oldest living Olympian to have represented Greece, as well as the University of Southern California.

When we learned of Pete’s passing in September (2006) at the age of 97, the news still caught us by surprise. It also made instantly apparent the best candidate for our 2007 Catalog Dedication.

Although he was, after all, human, his boundless enthusiasm, vise–grip handshake, and devotion to the pursuit of fitness (he was still lifting weights up to the final year of his life) tempted us to believe it was possible that this man had found the fountain of youth. (Or perhaps he was a citizen of Mount Olympus, just spending a little time among us mere mortals?)

Pete was born in Oakland, Calif., in 1909 to Greek immigrant parents. He attended San Luis Obispo High School, where he excelled at the pole vault, placing third at the California state meet in both 1927 and ’28. He went on to attend U.S.C., achieving three–year letterman status as a member of the NCAA Championship track team (1930, ’31) coached by the legendary Dean Cromwell. While there, Pete shared the runway with teammate Bill Graber, who set and re–set the world record in the event during a golden era in United States vaulting history.

In spite of jumping a collegiate best of 13' 7", earning a berth on the U.S. Olympic team was not to be for our Pete. However, Pete’s ancestry and performance qualified him to represent Greece in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. He took seventh place with his 12' 3-1/2" Olympic showing. Pete would go on to compete as an “open” athlete for a few more years, ultimately reaching his P.R. of 13' 9". In 1935 he traveled to Greece to compete in the historic Olympic Stadium in Athens. It was there he set the Greek national pole vault record of 13' 4", a mark which stood for a number of years.

As with many sportsmen of his era, Pete turned to a career in education, and in 1936 he began teaching and coaching at Barstow Union High School. However, with the United States’ entry into World War II, he changed course to join many of his generation, interrupting his career for military service. It was during his time as a physical training officer stationed at the Santa Ana Army Air Base that servicemen would first hear (and then repeat) Pete’s trademark urging of “Hubba, hubba!”, originally coined by their energetic trainer as a cheer of encouragement during his coaching days in Barstow. Following the war, Pete and his wife, Helen, moved to Pasadena, Calif. Pete resumed his profession as a teacher, coach and administrator, working at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, then Narbonne and Franklin High School in Los Angeles until he retired in 1974.

Retirement didn’t appear to slow Pete down one bit, but rather presented new opportunities for him to promote physical culture. Not only did he play golf and work out regularly, Pete helped organize and competed in the Pasadena Senior Olympics. He served on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and was very active in promoting athleticism among Greek–Americans. He volunteered countless hours officiating athletic events in Southern California, including the track and field events at the 1984 Olympic Games in L.A.