Robert Allen "Bob" Gutowski (25 April 1935 – 2 August 1960) was an American athlete who competed mainly in thepole vault. He competed for the United States in the1956 Summer Olympics held inMelbourne,Australia in the Pole Vault where he won the silver medal behindBob Richards' second consecutive gold medal, after finishing fourth in theUS Olympic Trials and only getting to the games on the withdrawal of Jim Graham.
He attendedOccidental College in Los Angeles where he won theNCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1956 (tied) and 1957. He set the World Record in the pole vault on April 27, 1957. Later in 1957 he cleared the highest height ever cleared with a "straight" pole at 15'9.75" though that mark was never ratified as a World Record because the pole passed under the bar.[1]
In 1980, Bob Gutowski was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.[2] He is also a member of the Occidental College Track and Field Hall of Fame.[3]
He was killed in a head-on collision by a drunk driver atCamp Pendleton on 2 August 1960 while serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in theMarine Corps Reserves.[4]
