Marcus Paul "Mark" Murro (born June 4, 1949) is an American former

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

er. Murro held the United States record in men's javelin throw from 1969 to 1982 and competed in the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

Career

Murro broke the national high school record in men's javelin throw in 1967 while attending Essex Catholic High School in Newark, New Jersey, throwing 252 ft 8 in (77.01 m). In June 1968 he placed third at the

national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

;"> three months later he won at the United States Olympic trials with a throw of 263 ft 9 in (80.39 m), defeating national champion

Frank Covelli Frank George Covelli (born 2 April 1937 in Paducah, Kentucky) is an American former javelin thrower who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics and in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He was the 1964 and 1968 American champion. Throwing for Arizona State Un ...

and qualifying for the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Murro was the top American at the Olympics, throwing 80.08 m (262 ft in) and placing ninth; ''

Track & Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includ ...

'' ranked him as the world's 10th best javelin thrower that year. The magazine put him on the cover of its April 1969 issue. Murro continued improving in the next years, breaking Covelli's American record with a throw of 292 ft 8 in (89.21 m) in

Tempe, Arizona Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in O'odham language, O'odham) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in t ...

on May 23, 1969. Murro won both the

NCAA championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(representing

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

) and the national championship that year, with his national championship mark of 284 ft 3 in (86.64 m) breaking Al Cantello's meeting record from 1960. He was ranked fourth in the world that year, behind

Jānis Lūsis Jānis Lūsis (19 May 1939 – 29 April 2020) was a Latvian track and field athlete who competed in javelin throw. Biography Lūsis trained at Daugava Voluntary Sports Society and later at Armed Forces sports society. He competed in four ...

Pauli Nevala Pauli Lauri Nevala (30 November 1940 – 20 June 2025) was a Finnish javelin thrower.

and

Jorma Kinnunen Jorma Vilho Paavali Kinnunen (15 December 1941 – 25 July 2019) was an athlete from Finland who competed mainly in the javelin throw and participated at three Olympic Games. Biography Kinnunen was born in Pihtipudas and attended his first O ...

. Murro broke his own American record on March 27, 1970, again in Tempe; with his throw of 300 ft 0 in (91.44 m) he became the first American to reach 300 feet, as well as the first to break 90 meters. However, two months later at the Compton Invitational he slipped while throwing and sprained his ankle, missing the NCAA meet and failing to qualify for the national championship final as a result. While he continued competing, he never regained his pre-injury level; in 1970 he ranked a career-best third in the world, behind Nevala and Manfred Stolle, but after that year he never featured in the world's top 10 again. At the 1972 Olympic Trials Murro placed eighth and failed to qualify for the Olympic team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murro, Mark 1949 births Living people Essex Catholic High School alumni Track and field athletes from Newark, New Jersey American male javelin throwers Arizona State Sun Devils men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen