Track and field suffered the loss of several legendary figures in 2007—among them, a true giant: shot–putter Parry O’Brien.

A three–time Olympic medalist, Parry transformed the shotput event by literally putting a spin on the technique of the day. In 1951, after stalling at the 55' mark and losing to Stanford’s Otis Chandler at the Fresno Relays, Parry began experimenting with a 180° turn, theorizing that the longer a shot– putter pushed against the shot, the farther it would travel after release. He took the customary quarter turn used by his competitors, and turned his back on the sector, with astonishing results.

Parry’s theory paid off dramatically, racking up big returns. Between 1953 and 1966, he broke the world record 17 times using his revolutionary style. The nearly magical turn won the 20–year–old junior at the University of Southern California Olympic gold in 1952, a feat he repeated in 1956. Parry would go on to win a silver medal in 1960, and, at the Tokyo Games in 1964, he finished fourth, having served as his team’s flag bearer.

His innovative technique helped make Parry the first to put the shot 60 feet, and in 1959, it contributed to his winning the Sullivan Award, the United States’ highest honor for amateur athletes. For a streak of 116 consecutive meets, Parry was unbeatable. All told, he won 18 AAU Championships (17 in shotput, one in the discus); nine consecutive national indoor shotput titles and eight outdoor titles.

Parry’s success was only partially due to his special adaptation of the “glide,” however. He had a impressive work ethic, taking as many as 150 throws in practice and studying everything from physics to yoga in his pursuit of the farthest throw.

Upon retiring from world–class competition, Parry settled into ordinary life, working in commercial banking, real estate and civil engineering. But his love of sport could not be put aside, and he returned to the ring, competing at the master’s level in both shot and discus. When throwing became too taxing on his body, Parry turned to competitive swimming. The consummate athlete, he spent his final moments in the pool, succumbing to a heart attack during a timed training session.

“Parry left his mark, not only on the field, but also on his competition during his dominant reign,” observes Bob Humphreys, a developing thrower as O’Brien was at his peak, and currently a masters competitor. “He exuded confidence in the ring and possessed a rare combination of athleticism, relentless training and mental toughness in breaking through barriers throughout his career. Parry was a true champion.”