Robert Allen "Bob" Gutowski (25 April 1935 – 2 August 1960) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the

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 ...

. He competed for the United States in the 1956 Summer Olympics held 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 ...

, Australia in the Pole Vault where he won the silver medal behind

Bob Richards Robert Eugene Richards (born February 20, 1926) is an American retired athlete, minister, and politician. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete in 1956. He ...

' second consecutive gold medal, after finishing fourth in the US Olympic Trials and only getting to the games on the withdrawal of Jim Graham. He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles where he won the

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make up ...

s in 1956 (tied) and 1957. He set the World Record in the pole vault on April 27, 1957. Later in 1957 he cleared the highest height ever cleared with a "straight" pole at 15'9.75" though that mark was never ratified as a World Record because the pole passed under the bar. In 1980, Bob Gutowski was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Occidental College Track and Field Hall of Fame. He was killed in a head-on collision by a drunk driver at

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...

on 2 August 1960 while serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

Reserves.

References

External links

*
National Polish-American Sports HOF profile
* 1935 births 1960 deaths American male pole vaulters Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics American people of Polish descent Track and field athletes from California Road incident deaths in California Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps reservists {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub