Dick Fosbury named to National High School Hall of Fame

Published 6:16 am Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized the high jump as a high school athlete in Oregon when he developed a technique that became known as the “Fosbury Flop,” is among 12 individuals selected for the 2018 class of the National High School Hall of Fame administered by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

The announcement came Thursday, June 21, from OSAA’s Sports Information Director Steve Walker, who said Fosbury is the 11th person from Oregon to be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame.

Fosbury used his new high jump technique as a sophomore at Medford High School in 1963, which became known as the Fosbury Flop.

The upside-down, back-layout style became the standard as all records around the world have been established by athletes using the Fosbury Flop.

Using his new method, Fosbury improved his jumps from 5-4 as a sophomore to 6-5.5 as a senior and placed second in the state meet. He continued to perfect the “Flop” at Oregon State University in Corvallis, where he claimed the NCAA high jump title in 1968 with a 7-2.25 effort.

That same year, Fosbury won the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City with a 7-4.25 jump, which broke both the Olympic and American records.

Fosbury was named to the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. He retired in 2011 after 30 years as a civil engineer in Idaho, but he continues to coach athletes at Dick Fosbury Track Camps in Maine and Idaho.