Bob Mathias | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Congressional portrait circa 1967–1974 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's18th district | ||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Harlan Hagen | |||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | William M. Ketchum | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Robert Bruce Mathias (1930-11-17)November 17, 1930 Tulare, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | September 2, 2006(2006-09-02) (aged 75) Fresno, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | |||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Melba Mathias (1954–1976) Gwen Haven Alexander (1977–2006) | |||||||||||||||||
| Education | Stanford University (BA) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | ||||||||||||||||||
 Mathias at the1952 Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (190 cm) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg) | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
Event | Decathlon | |||||||||||||||||
| Club | Olympic Club, San Francisco; Stanford Cardinal | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Robert Bruce Mathias (November 17, 1930 – September 2, 2006) was an Americandecathlete,politician, and actor. Representing the United States, he won twoOlympic gold medals in theDecathlon, at the1948 and the1952 Summer Games. As aRepublican, he served in theUS House of Representatives forCalifornia's18th congressional district, for four terms from 1967 to 1975.
Mathias was born inTulare, California, to a family with partial Greek lineage.[1] He attendedTulare Union High School,[2] where he was a classmate and long time friend ofSim Iness, the 1952 Olympic discus gold medalist. While at Tulare Union in early 1948, Mathias took up the decathlon at the suggestion of his track coach, Virgil Jackson. During the summer following his high school graduation, he qualified for the United States Olympic team for the1948 Summer Olympics held in London.
In the Olympics, Mathias's naïveté about the decathlon was exposed.[3] He was unaware of the rules in theshot put and nearly fouled out of the event. He almost failed in thehigh jump but was able to recover. Mathias overcame his difficulties and with superiorpole vault andjavelin scores was able to push pastIgnace Heinrich to win the Olympic gold medal. At age 17, he became the youngest gold medalist in a track and field event.[4]
Mathias continued to succeed in decathlons in the four years between the London games and the1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.[5] In 1948, Mathias won theJames E. Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete, but because his scholastic record in high school did not match his athletic achievement, he spent a year atThe Kiski School,[2] a well-respected all-boys boarding school inSaltsburg, Pennsylvania. He then enteredStanford University in 1949, playedcollege football for two years and was a member ofPhi Gamma Delta fraternity. Mathias set his firstdecathlon world record in 1950[6] and led Stanford to aRose Bowl appearance in1952, the first nationally televised college football game.
After graduating from Stanford in 1953 with a BA in education, Mathias spent two and a half years in theU.S. Marine Corps. He was promoted to the rank of captain and was honorably discharged.[7]
At Helsinki in 1952, Mathias established himself as one of the world's greatest all-around athletes. He won the decathlon by the astounding margin of 912 points, which established a new world record, and he became the first person to successfully defend an Olympic decathlon title.[8] He returned to the United States as a national hero. His 7,887 point total at the Helsinki Olympics remained the school record at Stanford for 63 years until it was broken in 2015 by a freshman, Harrison Williams.[9] In 1952, he was the first person to compete in an Olympics and a Rose Bowl the same year.
After the 1952 Olympics, Mathias retired from athletic competition. He later became the first director of theUnited States Olympic Training Center, a post he held from 1977 to 1983.[7]
He and his wife Melba can be seen on the edition of April 29, 1954, ofYou Bet Your Life. During the discussion he mentions a forthcoming film in which the couple played themselves, calledThe Bob Mathias Story. He also starred in a number of mostly cameo-type roles in a variety of movies and TV shows throughout the 1950s. In the 1959–1960 television season, Mathias played Frank Dugan, with costarsKeenan Wynn as Kodiak andChet Allen as Slats, in the TV seriesThe Troubleshooters, which featured 26 episodes on events at construction sites.[10] In 1960, he also appeared as an athleticTheseus in an Italian "peplum," orsword-and-sandal, film:Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete.[11]
Between 1967 and 1975, Mathias served four terms in the United States House of Representatives as aRepublican, representing the northernSan Joaquin Valley of California.[2][7] (These were the same eight years in which Ronald Reagan served two terms as governor of California.) He defeatedHarlan Hagen, the 14-yearDemocratic Party incumbent, by about 11% in the 1966 election. This was not too surprising because this area started to move away from itsNew Deal Democratic roots.[citation needed] But, like most Republicans and Democrats from California, he continued his predecessor's support of Civil Rights by voting in favor of theCivil Rights Act of 1968.[12]
Mathias was re-elected three times without serious difficulty, but in 1974, his Congressional district was significantly redrawn in a mid-decade state redistricting plan. Renumbered as the 17th, Mathias's district acquired a large section ofFresno while losing several rural areas. Mathias was narrowly defeated for re-election byJohn Hans Krebs, a member of theFresno CountyBoard of Supervisors. Mathias was one of several Republicans swept out of office in the wake of theWatergate scandal.
From June to August 1975, Mathias served as the deputy director of theSelective Service. Mathias was also a regional director in the unsuccessful 1976 presidential election campaign ofGerald Ford.
Bob Mathias was diagnosed with cancer in 1996, and died from it in Fresno, California on September 2, 2006, at age 75. He is interred at Tulare Cemetery in Tulare, California. He was survived by wife Gwen, daughters Romel, Megan, Marissa, stepdaughter Alyse Alexander, son Reiner, brothers Eugene and Jim, and sister Patricia Guerrero.[7]
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| Year | Comment |
|---|---|
| November 17, 1930 | Bob Mathias was born, the second of four children (including older brother Eugene, younger brother James, and younger sister Patricia), to Dr. Charles and Lillian Mathias. |
| 1948 | At age seventeen, graduated from Tulare high school after an illustrious high school athletic career in football andtrack and field. Wins National Decathlon Championship at Bloomfield, N.J. According to the movie (starring himself and his wife) "the Bob Mathias Story" he actually did not have enough credits to graduate from high school, after concentrating solely on all the events of the decathlon- and get into Stanford, so his parents sent him to a prep school out of town where he could make up his academic shortcomings and get into college, as he wanted to be a doctor like his father and older brother Eugene. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team and went on to win gold medal in decathlon at theSummer Olympic Games in London, England. After huge celebration and parade in Tulare, presented with "Key to the City" by Mayor Elmo Zumwalt. Enrolls at Kiskiminetas Prep School, Saltsburg, Pa. Honored with theJames E. Sullivan Award, presented each year to America's top amateur athlete. |
| 1949 | Won National Decathlon Championship at meet held in Tulare.[6] Enrolled at Stanford University, where he starred in track and field and in gridiron football. |
| 1950 | Won National Decathlon Championship at a meet held in Tulare.[6] |
| 1951 | Mathias played football during junior and senior years at Stanford. In theUniversity of Southern California vs. Stanford football game, Mathias returned U.S.C.'sFrank Gifford's kick-off 96 yards for a touchdown. Spent the summer at U.S. Marine Corps boot camp inSan Diego, California. |
| 1952 | On New Year's Day, he played fullback for Stanford University in the Rose Bowl. Won the National Decathlon Championship and Olympic Trials at meet held in Tulare.[6] Won the Olympic gold medal in the decathlon at Helsinki, Finland, setting a |world record.[6] |
| 1953 | Graduated from Stanford and commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the U.S. Marine Corps. Drafted by theWashington Redskins, though he never played inNational Football League. |
| 1954 | Married his first wife Melba. They later had three daughters, Romel, Megan, and Marissa. Mathias and his wife starred in the movieThe Bob Mathias Story. Entered active duty in the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant. |
| 1954–56 | Visited more than forty countries as America's Good Will Ambassador. |
| 1956–60 | Continued work for the state department as a good will ambassador to the world. Acting career took off, employed by John Wayne'sBatjac Productions. Starred in the movieChina Doll, the TV seriesThe Troubleshooters, the movieTheseus and the Minotaur and in the movieIt Happened in Athens. |
| 1966 | Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican, serving four two-year terms. |
| 1974 | Lost his re-election for fifth term. Inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame[7][13] |
| 1976 | Mathias and Melba are divorced. |
| 1977 | Appointed director of U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.[7] Bob and Gwen Haven Alexander married. Gwen has one daughter, Alyse Haven (1968–2014), from a prior marriage toBill Alexander, former U.S. Congressman. On Tuesday, September 14, 1999, Alyse's three children died in a house fire believed to be intentionally set by the children's father.[14] Bob also has a son Reiner from a prior relationship. Tulare high school stadium renamed Bob Mathias Stadium on November 10. |
| 1983 | Appointed executive director of the National Fitness Foundation. Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame[7][13] |
| 1988 | Returned to the Central Valley, in rural Fresno County. |
| 1996 | OlympianSim Iness died. He was Mathias's high school classmate and teammate at the 1952 Olympics. Doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in Mathias's throat. |
| June 6, 1998 | A tribute dinner honoring Mathias on the 50th anniversary of his first Olympic medal was held in Tulare. More than 300 people from throughout the state attended, including Olympic medal-winners Sammy Lee, Bill Toomey, Dave Johnson and Pat McCormick, and Sim Iness' widow, Dolores. |
Information fromWorld Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decathlon | 7,592 points | Helsinki | July 26, 1952 | 7,592 points |
| 100 meters | 10.9h | Helsinki | July 25, 1952 | 883 points |
| Long jump | 6.98 m (22 ft10+3⁄4 in) | Helsinki | July 25, 1952 | 809 points |
| Shot put | 15.49 m (50 ft9+3⁄4 in) | Fresno | May 9, 1953 | 820 points |
| High jump | 1.90 m (6 ft2+3⁄4 in) | Helsinki | July 25, 1952 | 714 points |
| 400 meters | 50.2h | Helsinki | July 25, 1952 | 805 points |
| 110 meters hurdles | 13.8h | Zürich | August 12, 1952 | 1,000 points |
| Discus throw | 46.89 m (153 ft 10 in) | Helsinki | July 26, 1952 | 806 points |
| Pole vault | 4.00 m (13 ft1+1⁄4 in) | Helsinki | July 26, 1952 | 617 points |
| Javelin throw | 59.21 m (194 ft 3 in)[15] | Helsinki | July 26, 1952 | 726 points |
| 1500 meters | 4:50.8h | Helsinki | July 26, 1952 | 618 points |
| Virtual Best Performance | 7,798 points | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | The Bob Mathias Story | Himself | |
| 1958 | China Doll | Capt. Phil Gates | |
| 1960 | Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete | Theseus | |
| 1962 | It Happened in Athens | Coach Graham | (final film role) |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Mathias | 96,699 | 55.9 | |||
| Democratic | Harlan Hagen (incumbent) | 76,346 | 44.1 | |||
| Total votes | 173,045 | 100.0 | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Mathias (incumbent) | 100,008 | 65.2 | |
| Democratic | Harlan Hagen | 51,274 | 33.4 | |
| American Independent | Edward Calvin Williams | 2,186 | 1.4 | |
| Total votes | 153,468 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Mathias (incumbent) | 86,071 | 63.2 | |
| Democratic | Milton Spartacus Miller | 48,415 | 33.4 | |
| American Independent | Nora E. Hensley | 1,709 | 3.4 | |
| Total votes | 136,195 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Mathias (incumbent) | 109,993 | 66.5 | |
| Democratic | Vincent J. Lavery | 55,484 | 33.5 | |
| Total votes | 165,477 | 100.0 | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Hans Krebs | 66,082 | 51.9 | |||
| Republican | Bob Mathias (incumbent) | 61,242 | 48.1 | |||
| Total votes | 127,324 | 100.0 | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | World Record Holder forMen's Decathlon June 30, 1950 – June 11, 1955 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Track & Field News High School Boys Athlete of the Year 1948 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 18th congressional district 1967–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Response to the State of the Union address 1968 Served alongside:Howard Baker,George H. W. Bush,Peter H. Dominick,Gerald Ford,Robert P. Griffin,Thomas Kuchel,Melvin Laird,George Murphy,Richard Harding Poff,Charles H. Percy,Al Quie,Charlotte Reid,Hugh Scott,William A. Steiger,John Tower | Vacant Title next held by Donald M. Fraser,Henry M. Jackson,Mike Mansfield,John William McCormack,Patsy Mink,Edmund Muskie,William Proxmire |
| All-around | |
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| Pentathlon |
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| Decathlon |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
