Frederick Morgan Hansen (born December 29, 1940) is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. A 1963 graduate of

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

, he competed in the pole vault for the United States in the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

held in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan, where he won the gold medal. He held the world record in the pole vault for almost 2 years, first set as on June 13, 1964, and then improved to on July 25, 1964, at the USA vs USSR dual meet at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...

1964 Olympics

Going into the 1964 Olympics, the United States had never lost an Olympic pole vault competition. In the final, the last remaining American was Hansen, who at the time was also the world record holder. The field included two other previous world record holders and decathlete C. K. Yang. Hansen cleared 5 meters on his first attempt, but so did three German athletes. Hansen then passed the next height, watching as only Wolfgang Reinhardt was able to clear. Re-entering the competition at 5.10, Hansen failed his first two attempts, but so did Reinhardt. Hansen then sailed over his final attempt, while Reinhart could not. Hansen continued the American streak, which would survive through one more Olympics until the 1972 pole vault controversy, when defending champion

Bob Seagren Robert Seagren (born October 17, 1946) is a retired American pole vaulter, the 1968 Olympic champion. A native of Pomona, California, Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU ...

had his pole confiscated at the games and had to compete on an unfamiliar, borrowed pole. Hansen is featured on the cover of the book ''The Pole Vault: A Violent Ballet'' by David Butler.

Personal life

Hansen was an avid golfer, and played at the 1980

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

golf championship. He resides Gonzales County, Texas. He formerly practiced dentistry in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas, in the Memorial area of town. He was Inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame, Class of 2016.http://ttfca2.wixsite.com/txtfhalloffame/inductees
. wixsite.com

References

External links

Fred Hansen at Sporting Heroes
* * 1940 births Living people American male pole vaulters American Presbyterians Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics World record setters in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Rice Owls men's track and field athletes Rice University alumni Sportspeople from Cuero, Texas Track and field athletes from Texas NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub