Ronald Hugh Morris (born April 27, 1935) is a retired American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who won the national title in

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

in 1958, 1961 and 1962. He placed fourth at the

1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially submitted a bid to host the 1959 Pan American Games that was recognized by the Pan Am ...

and second at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

. Morris vaulted 15'-0" June 1971 for a Masters M35 World Record at the 1971 Los Angeles Senior Olympics. After retiring from competitions, he worked as athletics coach. His athletic and coaching experience includes: * 1952–1953 Two time California Interscholastic Pole Vault and U.S. Interscholastic Record Holder * 1955–1957 Twice Intercollegiate All-American and University of Southern California Pole Vault Record Holder * 1956 Sixth man in history to clear 15 feet * 1956–1966 Eight times AAU All-American – ranked in the top 10 in the world for ten years * 1960 Silver Medal in XVII Olympiad, Rome, Italy * 1962 Only World Class athlete to successfully convert from steel to fiberglass (ranked #1 in the world that year) * 1978 Ranked by ''

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 ...

'' as the 2nd Best Pole Vaulter (longevity) in history * 1960–1978 Track Coach at

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

(prepared several All-American athletes) * 1978–present Owner and operator of On Track

References

External links

Ron Morris pole vaulting at the 1960 Olympics

CEO of On Track
Living people 1935 births Sportspeople from Glendale, California Track and field athletes from California American male pole vaulters Olympic male pole vaulters Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Japan Championships in Athletics winners {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub