16 Facts About Dick Fosbury

Richard Douglas Fosbury was an American high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field.

Dick Fosbury won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics, revolutionizing the high jump event with a "back-first" technique now known as the Fosbury flop.

Dick Fosbury's method was to sprint diagonally towards the bar, then curve and leap backward over the bar, which gave him a much lower center of mass in flight than traditional techniques.

Dick Fosbury ran for Blaine County Commissioner against incumbent Larry Schoen in 2018, won the seat, and took office in 2019.

Dick Fosbury had difficulty competing using the dominant high-jumping techniques of the period.

Dick Fosbury found it difficult to coordinate all the motions involved in the straddle method, so he began to experiment with other ways of doing the high jump.

Dick Fosbury did compress a couple of vertebrae in the mid-1960s because not all high schools could afford the upgraded, foam material.

Dick Fosbury was on the cover of Track and Field News's February 1968 issue.

Dick Fosbury continued to refine his technique, developing a curved, J-shaped approach run.

Dick Fosbury made little to no use of his arms at takeoff, failing to "pump" them upwards, keeping them down, close to his body; the next generation of floppers would add an arm pump.

Dick Fosbury missed on his first two attempts, but cleared on his third, while Caruthers missed on all three of his attempts.

Dick Fosbury graduated from Oregon State University in 1972 with a degree in civil engineering and was the co-owner of Galena Engineering, Inc in Ketchum, Idaho, where he lived from 1977.

Dick Fosbury had surgery a month later to remove a cancerous tumor engulfing his lower vertebra.

Dick Fosbury was a member of the "Champions for Peace" club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.

Dick Fosbury, along with fellow Olympians Gary Hall and Anne Cribbs, was a founder of World Fit, a non-profit organization that promotes youth fitness programs and Olympic ideals.

Dick Fosbury died on March 12,2023, aged 76, after a short bout with a recurrence of lymphoma; he was survived by his wife Robin.