Among the athletic legends of Oregon, few have had the impact on their sport like Dick Fosbury (March 6, 1947 – March 12, 2023), who revolutionized the art of high-jumping so much that the style was named after him – the “Fosbury Flop.”
Fosbury grew up in Medford, a three-sport athlete at Medford High School. His basketball career was not promising, and he struggled with the track and field team competing in the high jump using the established technique: the straddle or Western Roll, which ended with jumpers landing on their feet on a pile of sawdust.
While trying to master the outdated upright scissors method as a junior, Fosbury developed a method of jumping where he cleared the bar head first and landed on his shoulders on a foam pad, which was just becoming available. He went from being unable to qualify for the state meet as a sophomore to clearing six feet, 5 1/2 inches and finishing second at the state meet.
Fosbury came to Oregon State in 1965 and continued to improve enough that he cleared seven feet in 1968 and won the NCAA title as a junior. He then won the U.S. Trials for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Summer Games. In Mexico City, Fosbury won the Gold Medal and set an Olympic record at 7-4 1/4 inches.
Fosbury again won the NCAA title in 1969. But by the ’72 Olympic Trials most of the top jumpers had adopted the Fosbury Flop and he failed to make the U.S. team. The following year, he became an engineer full-time, eventually owning his own firm in Ketchum, ID.
The Fosbury Flop enabled the world record to drastically improve beginning in 1970, after being stuck at 7-5 since 1963.
Dick Fosbury continued to make appearances to support track and field and encourage young competitors. He was always happy to share his life stories and memories, particularly of OSU coach Berny Wagner, who went from skeptic to advocate of "The Flop"
Dick Fosbury is a member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame.