Ronald Hugh Morris (April 27, 1935 – May 31, 2024) was an American

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who won the national title in

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

in 1958, 1961 and 1962. He placed fourth at the

1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games, officially known as the III Pan American Games and commonly known as Chicago 1959, were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially su ...

and

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

. Morris vaulted in June 1971 for a Masters M35 World Record at the 1971 Los Angeles Senior Olympics. After retiring from competitions, he worked as athletics coach. Morris competed for the

USC Trojans track and field The USC Trojans track and field team is the track and field program that represents University of Southern California. The Trojans compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The team is based in Los Angeles, California, a ...

team. He died on May 31, 2024, at the age of 89. His athletic and coaching experience includes: * 1952–1953 Two time California Interscholastic Pole Vault and U.S. Interscholastic Record Holder * 1955–1957 Twice Intercollegiate All-American and University of Southern California Pole Vault Record Holder * 1956 Sixth man in history to clear 15 feet * 1956–1966 Eight times AAU All-American – ranked in the top 10 in the world for ten years * 1960 Silver Medal in XVII Olympiad, Rome, Italy * 1962 Only World Class athlete to successfully convert from steel to fiberglass (ranked #1 in the world that year) * 1978 Ranked by ''

Track and 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 ...

'' as the 2nd Best Pole Vaulter (longevity) in history * 1960–1978 Track Coach at

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 m ...

(prepared several All-American athletes) * 1978–? Owner and operator of On Track

References

External links

Ron Morris pole vaulting at the 1960 Olympics

CEO of On Track
* 1935 births 2024 deaths Sportspeople from Glendale, California Track and field athletes from California American male pole vaulters Olympic male pole vaulters Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Japan Championships in Athletics winners USC Trojans men's track and field athletes 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub