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

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

. 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 b ...

in the

hammer throw The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor 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 a ...

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 Americas ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. Logan competed in four

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

, 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 an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

in high school at Hoover High School, before attending

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

and 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, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. 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 Ashland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is approximately 66 miles southwest of Cleveland. The population was 19,225 at the 2020 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan statistical area, wh ...

, where he coached the

Ashland University Ashland University is a private university in Ashland, Ohio, United States. The university consists of a main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern U ...

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 college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member ...

in 2008–09. He died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

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

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce 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 Sportspeople from Ashland, Ohio Track and field athletes from Ohio American male hammer throwers Male weight throwers American masters athletes Olympic track and field athletes for 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 Kent State Golden Flashes football players Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games World record holders in masters athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio Ashland Eagles track and field coaches Kent State Golden Flashes men's track and field athletes People from North Canton, Ohio 20th-century American sportsmen