Dewey Lee Yoder Jr (July 18, 1930 – May 17, 2023) was an American
hurdler
Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...
, known as Lee Yoder. Yoder attended
Mercersburg Academy
Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approxim ...
as a youth, where he trained under
Jimmy Curran
James Michael Curran (January 7, 1880 – February 7, 1963) was an athletics coach, best known for training five Olympic gold medallists. From 1900-1902 he fought with the Highland Light Infantry in the Second Boer War, serving much of that time ...
. He came second in the 400 metres hurdles at the
1952 US Olympic trials, beaten only by eventual gold medalist
Charles Moore (also from Mercersburg). He competed in the
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once ...
at the
1952 Summer Olympics.
Running for the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, Yoder finished second at the
1952 NCAA Track and Field Championships
The 1952 NCAA Track and Field Championships were contested at the 31st annual NCAA-hosted track meet to determine the team and individual national champions of men's collegiate track and field events in the United States. This year's meet was ...
behind Bob Diviney from Kansas. Yoder later played
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shootin ...
, including as part of the bronze medal winning American team at the
1967 Pan American Games
The 1967 Pan American Games were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967.
Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on its second try. It first bid for the 1963 Games at the 1959 PASO meeting in Chicago ...
.
He was manager for the
United States field hockey team at the 1984 Olympics.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoder, Lee
1930 births
2023 deaths
Arkansas Razorbacks men's track and field athletes
Mercersburg Academy alumni
Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics
American male hurdlers
Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
American male field hockey players
Track and field athletes from Philadelphia
Olympic coaches for the United States
Field hockey players at the 1967 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in field hockey
Penn Quakers men's track and field athletes