The throw was good enough to win the competition by more than 5 inches (130 mm). He was 71. Place of Death: Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. Al Oerter was born August 18, 1936, in Astoria, New York, United States. Mike Lindsay, athlete. Al Oerter dies at age of 71 . Hal and his wife, Pat (a three-time Olympian), used to ride tandem bicycles with us. His wife, Cathy Oerter, saiddoctors at a Fort Myers hospital had told her that the cause was eithera heart attack or a blood clot. After graduating from the University of Kansas in 1958, he continued to compete as a discus thrower as a member of the New York Athletic Club. Al Oerter, Self: The Way It Was. He is not the oldest as Viktor Rashchupkin, the 1980 Champion, is almost exactly 1 month older.During his discus throw series from May 1, 1976, he set the world record three times with throws of … Al Oerter was the first man ever to throw the discus over 200 feet, the first of his four world records in a sport he excelled at throughout the 1960s. Bob Beamon. Oerter died at … Oerter is an inductee of the IAAF Hall of Fame. He grew up in the nearby town of New Hyde Park, a suburb of New York City, … "Al had dealt with high blood pressure since he was young and has also struggled with heart problems," said wife Cathy. It was knowledge a stone's throw away. Oerter enjoyed the freedom of abstract art, and thus decided against formal schooling for his art, as he thought it might stifle his creativity. He is not the oldest; Viktor Rashchupkin—the 1980 champion—is almost a month older. In those days before video, or even readily available film of competitions, Oerter refined his technique is perhaps the most unusual way of all: he studied a flip book of a discus thrower. A large man at 6′ 4″ (193 cm) and 280 pounds (127 kg), Oerter was a natural thrower. Oerter’s wife Corrine and their two daughters were watching from the stands. His wife, Cathy Oerter, said doctors at a Fort Myers hospital had told her that the cause was either a heart attack or a blood clot. Al Oerter, a discus thrower who became the first modern track andfield athlete to win four consecutive Olympic titles in one event andwho competed into his 60s, died today in Fort Myers, Fla. He resumed training in 1976, however. In … "Al had dealt with high blood pressure since he was young and has also struggled with heart problems," said wife Cathy. He had dealt with high blood pressure since he was young and has struggled with heart problems, she said. Wilkins was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.With the death of Al Oerter on 1 October 2007, Wilkins is the earliest surviving Olympic Champion in the Men's Discus. Al Oerter. In a flurry of amazing competitiveness, beginning with a meet in Los Angeles in May 1962, Oerter accomplished the one goal in his sport that had eluded him he set the world record with a throw of 61.10 meters (200 feet, 51/2 inches); Oerter was the first person to throw the discus 200 feet. Al Oerter From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. In 2005, Oerter was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. He recovered in time to compete at the 1960 Summer Olympics at Rome, where he was the slight favorite over teammate Rink Babka, who was the world record holder. It shows that Olympians can have another life; we have got art from more than 100 Olympians. Al Oerter was a discus thrower who became the first modern track and field athlete to win four consecutive Olympic titles in one event. THE AL OERTER FOUNDATION (AOF) exists to foster character and integrity through sports and the arts. Oerter had had high blood pressure since he was young and a … A high school track standout she won numerous national titles in track and field, made several USA international teams and started the women’s track program at her Alma matter, Iowa State University. Oerter died at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home, his wife Cathy Oerter said. "He was a gentle giant," she said. Art of the Olympians welcomes Cheung Ho Lun – AOTO’s first Asian artist and first Special Olympian. He was bothered by a neck injury, and he tore cartilage in his ribs shortly before the competition. Al Oerter is 100%, grade A, genuine. He was a world record holder in Masters track-and-field competition in the 1980s. AOF brings together athletes from the Olympics and the sporting world to promote the highest ethics of humanity. By Roald Bradstock - 7 May 2009 Al Oerter winning 4 consecutive gold medals in the discus is a legendary accomplishment. Oerter was in the first class to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983. At the end of a tumultuous year, we marvel at the uplifting ripple effect of the life of Al Oerter, as told by those he wonderfully impacted. However, it was overshadowed by the controversial “black power salute” by African American track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos who were protesting against racism in the United States. Oerter’s record was short-lived. Al Oereter used, and in the proper sense and context, still uses, art to teach integrity, ethics, and other values greatly needed in today's world! He won gold in the discus in 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968. As Al's wife, Cathy, has labeled them; "The Cellar Dwellers: John Boos, Al, and Dave Spector. He married Cathy Oerter and the couple had two daughers, Crys and Gabrielle. Babka was in the lead for the first four of the six rounds. Al Oerter embodied the concept of always doing one's best...in athletics and in art. On March 13, 2003, Oerter was briefly clinically dead; a change of blood pressure medications caused a fluid build-up (Pericardial effusion) around his heart. He was 71. He began his track and field career at the age of 15 when a discus landed at his feet and he threw it back past the crowd of throwers. In 1960 Oerter lost in the Olympic trials to the world-record holder Richard Babka, but he made the Olympic team. He had dealt with high blood pressure since he was young and has struggled with heart problems, she said. His discus career had an almost mythical beginning: while running on his high school track (Oerter began his high school track and field career as a miler), an errant discus, which weighs two kilograms or nearly four-and-a-half pounds, fell at his feet. Oerter died at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home, wife Cathy Oerter said. FORT MYERS, Fla. - Al Oerter, the discus great who won gold medals in four straight Olympics to become one of track and field's biggest stars in the 1950s and '60s, died yesterday of heart failure. Since Al Oerter’s death in 2007, his wife Cathy has been the recipient of hundreds of messages from people all over the world with stories of being positively impacted by her husband in some way. "He was a gentle giant," she said. He trained furiously to regain his strength, and he never again competed without pain. In the webpage devoted to Al Oerter’s memory, she has nice words about his fascinating personality: … One such email was extremely special, and the following exposition is a result of that missive. Sections. In The Olympics: 80 Years of People, Events, and Records, edited by Lord Killanin and John Rodda, it was acknowledged that Oerter has been “often cited as the Supreme Olympic athletics competitor…” Oerter began his Olympic career at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He was 71 andlived in Fort Myers Beach. Art of The Olympians Al Oerter’s very first painting. Al Oerter was a shy and introspective man who, at the same time, was able of a calmness and peaceful state of mind which marvelled all the people who knew him. Subscribe. In later years, Oerter carried the Olympic flag for the 1984 Summer Olympics, then carried the Olympic flame into the stadium for the 1996 Olympic Games. The Olympics transformed Oerter into an athlete of international stature. Today, he and his wife Cathy are living permanently in Florida, and until February 2003, Oerter was lifting weights regularly. As Al's wife, Cathy, has labeled them; "The Cellar Dwellers: John Boos, Al, and Dave Spector. In words of his surviving wife Cathy, in 25 years of relationship he was never angry or upset and they never argued. Oerter died at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home. In early spring,1967, Douglas Kelban was a junior on the track team at Plainedge High … Easton guided Oerter in his early amateur career that included making the United States Olympic team in 1956. Alfred Oerter Jr. (September 19, 1936 – October 1, 2007) was an American athlete and a four-time Olympic Champion in the discus throw.He was the first athlete to win a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympic Games. He dealt with high blood pressure since he was young and struggled with heart problems, she said. Oerter had … Cathy Oerter was the wife of Al Oerter and assisted him in founding Art of the Olympians in 2006.. Cathy’s credentials, like her husband’s, include both the art and sport worlds. In 1956 the summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. His wife, Cathy Oerter, said doctors at a Fort Myers hospital told her that the cause was a heart attack or a blood clot. In The Olympics: 80 Years of People, Events and Records, edited by Lord Killanin and John Rodda, it was acknowledged that Oerter has been "often cited as the Supreme Olympic athletics competitor…" (Here the term "athletics" refers to track and field events.) Left to Right: Dave Johnston, James Pringle, Curt Curtis, Bob Beamon, Cathy Oerter (wife of the late Olympian Al Oerter) Hugo Miller, Ricky McIntosh, Dr. Liston Bochette III, Beaufort Brown, a musician Oerter died at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home. Oerter’s winning throw was a personal best, but more important, his four consecutive gold medals in the same event was a feat no other track and field athlete had ever duplicated. His best throw in setting a world record was 62.94 meters (206 feet 6 inches) in 1964; his best Olympic throw was 64.78 meters (212 feet 6 inches) in 1968. Hal and Al Oerter both went on to the Olympics and were on three U.S. Olympic teams together. Subscribe to find about new blog posts and get future access to exclusive Al Oerter content and interviews. Oerter was hampered by injuries before the Games began. A high school track standout she won numerous national titles in track and field, made several USA international teams and started the women’s track program at her Alma matter, Iowa State University. Competing for Kansas, he became the NCAA discus champion in 1957; he successfully defended his title the following year. At the age of twenty, the 6 feet 4 inches, 290-pound sophomore at the University of Kansas was rated second in the world in the discus throw. Oerter died at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home, his wife Cathy Oerter said. "He was a gentle giant," she said. He was married to Cathy Carroll and Corinne Benedetto. Oerter died at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home, wife Cathy Oerter said. He was the first athlete to win a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympic Games. In 1954 Oerter set the U.S. high school record for the discus. Al Oerter, the discus great who won gold medals in four straight Olympics to become one of track and field's biggest stars in the 1950s and '60s, died Monday of heart failure. Al Oerter continued throwing and eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Kansas in 1954 where he became a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. He nonetheless set his overall personal record of 69.46 meters (227.9 ft) that year at the age of 43. "He was bigger than life." Al's wife Cathy, Olympians, and friends keep Al's last wish alive, giving inspirational, educational programs, contests, and exhibitions across the world. He afterward became a vocal opponent of steroids and drugs. He attended Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park. Art of the Olympians and Al Oerter: First Official Exhibition. Al Oerter passed away at the age of 71 in Fort Myers, Florida. At the Olympics, however, Oerter hurled another Olympic record throw of 64.78 meters (212.5 ft) on his third throw. In 1977 he reentered world competition stronger than ever. Al Oerter was a shy and introspective man who, at the same time, was able of a calmness and peaceful state of mind which marvelled all the people who knew him. Oerter had struggled with high blood pressure his entire life, and in the 2000s, he became terminally ill with the cardiovascular disease. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. He was 71. However, by the time the 1964 Olympics came around Oerter’s record had been shattered by Ludvik Danek of Czechoslovakia, who, in a meet in August 1964, threw the discus 64.55 meters. This accomplishment would be equaled many years later by fellow Americans Carl Lewis and swimmer Michael Phelps. While he narrowly failed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in 1980, which ultimately did not compete (there being a U.S. boycott), he made the longest throw of his career and the world’s longest that year, 69.46 meters (227 feet 11 inches). Oerter had struggled with high blood pressure his entire life, and in the 2000s, he became terminally ill with cardiovascular disease. 11 December 2019, aged 81 Oerter ’ s throw competition in the rounds. Husband ’ s hand and assumed that he had dealt with high blood since. 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