John Curtis Thomas (March 3, 1941 – January 15, 2013) was an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who set several world records in the high jump using the

straddle technique The straddle technique was the dominant style in the high jump before the development of the Fosbury Flop. It is a successor of the Western roll, with which it is sometimes confused. Unlike the scissors or flop style of jump, where the jumper ...

. As a youth, he earned the

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

award. At the age of 17, while a freshman at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

, Thomas became the first man to clear 7 feet (2.13 m) indoors. He subsequently pushed the world indoor record to 7'1½" (2.17 m), and broke the world outdoor record three times, with a career best jump of 7'3¾" (2.22 m) in 1960 while just 20 years old. Thomas' meteoric career briefly captivated the track world, but he failed to win an Olympic gold medal, despite being favored to win in both the 1960 and 1964 Games. In 1960, he settled for the bronze medal behind Russia's Robert Shavlakadze (gold), and

Valeriy Brumel Valeriy Nikolayevich Brumel (russian: Валерий Николаевич Брумель; 14 April 1942 – 26 January 2003)Great Russian Encyclopedia (2006), Moscow: Bol'shaya Rossiyskaya Enciklopediya Publisher, vol. 4, p. 243 was a Russian hi ...

(silver). Thomas's failure in 1960 on Thursday 1 September was accompanied by other failures that day by American favorites, and the day become known as 'Black Thursday'. In 1964 he was again beaten by Brumel, who cleared the same top height as Thomas, but was declared the winner based on fewer misses at lower heights. John Rambo won the bronze in 1964. Thomas is an inductee of the

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 a ...

Hall of Fame.John Thomas
USATF Hall of Fame

Jumping orientation

Thomas planted his left foot for take-off and high kicked with his right leg that would lead over the bar.

Biography

Thomas was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and grew up in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. His father Curtis was a bus driver and his mother Ida was a kitchen employee at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

.Trounson, Rebecca. (2013, January 24)
''John Thomas dies at 71' U.S. high jumper medaled in two Olympics''.
The Los Angeles Times. He graduated from Boston University in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in physical and psychological rehabilitation. Thomas retired from competition at the age of 27 and became a businessman. He later served as an assistant coach at Boston University and athletic director at

Roxbury Community College Roxbury Community College (RCC) is a public community college in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. RCC offers associate degrees in arts, and sciences, as well as certificates. RCC has transfer agreements with Curry College, North ...

. Thomas died at age 71 while undergoing vascular surgery at a

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Mas ...

hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, John 1941 births 2013 deaths American male high jumpers Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College) alumni Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics World record setters in athletics (track and field) Use mdy dates from August 2011 Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field African-American male track and field athletes