Robert William Likins (May 12, 1921 – November 21, 1962) was an American

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

er who competed in the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

Life

Robert William Likins was born May 12, 1921 in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. He attended Grant High School, where he played football and threw javelin, becoming a two-time Oregon State Champion in Javelin and set a state record in 1938, and graduated in 1940. After high school he enrolled at

Glendale Junior College Glendale Community College (GCC) is a public community college in Glendale, California. History The college was founded as Glendale Junior College in 1927, to serve the Glendale Union High School District which at the time included La Cr ...

, where he set the National Junior College Javelin record. He then transferred to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, but dropped out to serve in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. When the war ended he enrolled at

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

, where he would continue to throw javelin. In

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

, while competing for San Jose State, Likins won NCAA track and field championships for javelin throwing. He qualified for and competed in the

, in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

. He finished 12th in the qualifying round and 8th in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. Later in life, Likins became the athletic director for the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington. From 1951-60 he worked for various Keyser Industries and then was briefly with

Arthur Young & Co Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

. until he was forced to retire due to illness. Likins died on November 21, in

Upland, California Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States on the border with neighboring Los Angeles County. The municipality is located at an elevation of 1,242 feet (379 m). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 79,040 ...

1962 at age 41. In 2010, he was inducted into the

Portland Interscholastic League The Portland Interscholastic League (PIL) is a high school athletic conference in Portland, Oregon that is a member of the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA). It consists of high schools in the Portland Public Schools (Oregon), Portland Pub ...

Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.

References

1921 births 1962 deaths American male javelin throwers Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics {{US-javelinthrow-athletics-bio-stub San Jose State Spartans men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Portland, Oregon Grant High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Glendale Community College (California) alumni USC Trojans men's track and field athletes