When track and field aficionados recall the all–time great athletic achievements of the sport, there are few success stories more captivating than that of the great decathlete Bob Mathias.

Gold medalist Bob Mathias (1952, Helsinki) celebrates his decathlon victory flanked by fellow medalists Floyd Simmons (Bronze), left, and Milt Campbell (Silver), right.

While representing Tulare Union High School in football and basketball, and on the field throwing discus and putting the shot, Bob displayed natural talent that captured the imagination of Coach Virgil Jackson. Primarily the school’s football coach, Jackson presided over the track team in the spring, coaching technique from books. As if tinkering with an experiment, Jackson periodically asked Bob if he would like to try the hurdles, or learn how to high jump, and by the end of his high school career, Bob was competing in six or seven events during the course of one meet.

In London, Bob found himself at a disadvantage, ignorant of the rules of the shot put event that nearly resulted in his “fouling out.” He also came dangerously close to failing in the high jump, but Bob’s adaptability and sheer athleticism pulled him through to—at the age of 17—become the youngest Olympic gold medalist in track and field history. The country welcomed him home as a bona fide hero, and Bob was named the winner of the 1948 James E. Sullivan Award, recognizing him as the nation’s top amateur athlete.

Bob entered Stanford University in 1949, launching a college athletic career that not only saw the first of his three decathlon world records (1950), but also enabled Bob to play fullback for university’s football team. In 1952, Bob’s eventual Olympic reprise made him the only person ever to compete in the Rose Bowl and the Olympics in the same year.

Yes, Bob did return to international competition with his 1952 appearance in Helsinki, where he became the very first to successfully defend an Olympic decathlon title. Racking up 912 more points than his nearest competitor, Bob once again earned the title of “World’s Greatest Athlete.”

Athletics became an entrée to Hollywood and public service. Bob was first cast to play himself in The Bob Mathias Story, which subsequently lead to film and television roles in the 1950s and ’60s. (Many feel that, at 25, Bob likely would have made a third Olympic appearance, had acting in the film of his life not disqualified him, making him a “dirty professional” in the eyes of the Amateur Athletic Union.) Bob’s world–wide celebrity made him the perfect “good will ambassador,” allowing him the opportunity to tour more than 40 countries on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Later, Bob enjoyed a successful political career, serving his community for four terms as a U.S. congressman.

He also distinguished himself by giving back to athletics. In 1977, Bob was appointed director of the brand new U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and in 1983 he was named executive director of the National Fitness Foundation.

Sadly, Bob lost his battle with cancer in 2006, but before his passing, he shared his story with documentary filmmaker Dan Traub, the writer and director of Bob Mathias: Hometown Hero (available at www.heroesfilm.com/productions.php). In the film, sports writer/historian Chris Terrance distills the essence of the man: “Bob Mathias was a great American who took what he was blessed with and made it even greater.”