Benjamin Benito Garcia (July 31, 1933 – February 13, 2015)
was an American track and field athlete, known for participating in the
javelin throw. He competed for the United States in the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both:
*The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
*The 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport even ...
. He threw 71.17m in the qualifying round to make the final. That mark would have been good enough for eighth place had it been in the final round (better than the other Americans in the field) but Garcia was unable to land a legal throw in the final round and finished officially in 15th place with no mark.
Benny Garcia at Sports Reference
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He began his collegiate career on a football scholarship to New Mexico A&M
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the stat ...
but switched to Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
where he was elected Most Valuable Player on the track team in 1955. He was born in La Luz
La Luz is a census-designated place (CDP) in Otero County, New Mexico, Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,615 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. It is located immediately north of Alamogordo, New Mexico, ...
, New Mexico and died in Phoenix, Arizona.
References
1933 births
2015 deaths
People from Otero County, New Mexico
Track and field athletes from New Mexico
American male javelin throwers
Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
Arizona State Sun Devils men's track and field athletes
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