John C. Thomas
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Sport:
Track & Field |
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Year
Graduated: 1963 |
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Year
Inducted: 1968 |
John Thomas' name is synonymous with Boston University and
has been since his freshman year at B.U., when he set a world
record in the high jump, and became the first athlete to break
the 7-foot barrier.
He was selected for four consecutive years to the All-America
Track team. He represented B.U. and the USA in the Olympics
of 1960 and 1964, finishing third in Rome and second in Tokyo.
As a sophomore he won the Bronze Medal and in 1964 tied for
first place with Valery Brumel of the USSR. Brumel was awarded
the gold medal because of fewer misses. John had competed
under a severe handicap, which very few people knew about.
He was suffering from a hernia and was advised that jumping
could aggravate the condition. However, he competed and the
jumps of 7 feet 2 inches by both John and Brumel established
a new Olympic record.
John held the world record of 7 feet 3 3/4 inches for
a long time. He also is known as the man who has jumped over
the 7-foot mark 191 times and was voted into the Helms Foundation
Hall of Fame. This group represents the best of all athletes
in all sports and is the envy of every amateur athlete.
