Judson Campbell Logan (July 19, 1959 – January 3, 2022) was an American

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-de ...

. He won a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

in the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that na ...

at the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the America ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. Logan competed in four

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

, starting in 1984. His best finish was 13th in the qualifying round in 1984.

Biography

Logan had bests of 49-11 (SP) and 171-11 (DT) in high school, but did not qualify for the state meet. He is quoted of saying, "And I made it to four Olympics. That's what I tell kids now: never give up on your dreams." He played

Tight End The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

in high school football and attended

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

playing football for two and a half seasons. He was but a walk-on to the track team and was known to give his medals away to children who watch the competition, saying "I'm not into collecting or saving medals. Maybe it will mean more to them than it will to me. But it makes me feel good." He was for a time, the oldest top-level U.S. track star. After turning 40 in 1999, Logan was still determined to continue throwing. :"I'm going to keep throwing until there are three guys who can keep me off the Olympic team. As long as I can make the A standards for the Worlds and Olympics, and keep making teams, I'm going to keep doing it." Following that statement he made his fourth Olympic team and threw in the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

. He had continued throwing into the Masters division, setting the world M50 record in 2009.

Later life

Logan resided in

Ashland, Ohio Ashland is a city in and the county seat of Ashland County, Ohio, United States, 66 miles southwest of Cleveland and 82 miles northeast of Columbus. The population was 20,362 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan S ...

, where he coached the

Ashland University Ashland University is a private university in Ashland, Ohio. The university consists of a main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. Ashland was founded in 1878 as Ashland College. It is affiliated with T ...

track team. He became head coach in 2004 and was named Indoor Men's Coach of the Year in the

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a competitive college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its el ...

in 2008–2009. He died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

in Ashland on January 3, 2022, at age 62. He was also being treated for

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

for the two years prior to his death.

Achievements

References

SR, Olympics Sports-Jud Logan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Logan, Jud 1959 births 2022 deaths People from Ashland, Ohio Sportspeople from Canton, Ohio Track and field athletes from Ohio American male hammer throwers Male weight throwers American masters athletes Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games Kent State Golden Flashes football players Ashland University people World record holders in masters athletics Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio