July 12, 2024
Bob Beamon Today from Washington Post
Today I had one of those unsolicited ads to take a subscription to The Washington Post and found that some articles would appear for free. I was extremely lucky to find this very well written and researched article by Les Carpenter on Bob Beamon and his current delving into the world of Hip Hop. You should be able to open at least this one article. It's a great review of his life, his career, and his current passion for music and his willingness to learn at an age when most of us are just looking for a good urologist or the tooth fairy. I had not known that in 1968 Texas El Paso pulled his scholarship for refusing to participate in a meet right after the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination. As a child he made the brave decision to look for a better way of life that what was offered by the gang world in the projects. There is also a very good account of that jump in Mexico City. Good Reading.
George
A similar article on Bob Beamon appeared July 15, 2024 in The Guardian. Here is the link The Guardian July 15, 2025 Bob Beamon Story
Gents:
I was in the front row sitting directly across from the long jump pit with my Strider teammate, Art when Bob Beamon made his historic 29’ jump. This was no more than 39-40 feet!!!
The special sighting device made especially for the Mexico City Olympic long jump pit was only designed to measure as far as 28’
So this jump had officials scrambling to locate tape measure that could measure up to 29-30 Ft. this took some time as the long jump officials scrambled around the stadium to locate a long enough tape measure.
When they finally returned with the proper tape and took the 29’6” or do measurement
Bob Beamon slumped to his knees sobbing when he heard the measurement announced!
The announcing was made and posted on the scoreboard in “Metric” so I immediately
Referred to my Metric table Book. When I read the conversion in feet and inches out loud to my S.C. Strider, teammate, triple jumper, Art Walker, said aloud “Art, is this possible?”
We were there as history was made!
John “Buck” Bork
Thanks again for the report on Bob Beamon. He was truly one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time.
Got to know his Larry Ellis during my time involved with the OLympic Festival. Larry had been his HS coach in NY. He went on to the the Head Olympic Coach at Los Angeles in '84. Joe Rogers
Remember Johnny Mathis was an Olympic caliber high jumper. Steve Smith
Not sure he was Olympic caliber but Bill Russell who was definitely was high jumping in San Fran about the same time. But he chose to play basketball for the US in 1956 instead. And Gordon Lightfoot was a 12 polevaulter on steel.\
George
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