Charles Everett "Charlie" Dumas (February 12, 1937 – January 5, 2004) was an American

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

er, the 1956

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champion, and the first person to clear 7 ft.(2.13 m) While attending Compton College, near Los Angeles, Dumas, from

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, made his memorable jump on June 29, 1956, in the US Olympic Trials in

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, breaking a barrier previously thought unbreakable. This jump not only ensured him of a place in the American Olympic team, but also made him the top favorite for the gold medal at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

. In

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, he did not disappoint, and grabbed the title in a new Olympic Record. Next, he enrolled at 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 ...

, winning the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

track and field title with the university team in 1958. In 1960, Dumas competed in his second

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, but a knee injury during the competition prevented him from winning a second medal, finishing 6th. After his career, in which he won five consecutive national high jump titles, Dumas became a teacher, working at several schools in the Los Angeles area (including Jordan High School in Watts). He died of cancer at age 66 in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

. He left behind three children: Keasha Dumas, Kyle Dumas and Ianna Dumas. He started his jumping career as a student first at Thomas Jefferson High School in

South Central Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

for 2 years. As a sophomore, he finished tied for 4th place at the 1953 CIF California State Meet for Jefferson. As a junior and senior he jumped for Centennial High School in

Compton Compton may refer to: Places Canada * Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district * Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton * Compton, Que ...

finishing second in 1954 and winning the state championship by four and a half inches in 1955. He was ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runni ...

'' "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1955.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumas, Charles 1937 births 2004 deaths Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma American male high jumpers Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics World record setters in athletics (track and field) USC Trojans men's track and field athletes American masters athletes Track and field athletes from Oklahoma Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Jefferson High School (Los Angeles) alumni Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games