O’Brien Glides To Shot Put Dominance

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

O’Brien Glides To Shot Put Dominance

Parry O’Brien was a shot put pioneer.

By the time O’Brien competed for Southern California a final time in the shot put at the 1953 NCAA Outdoor Championships, he was an Olympic gold medalist, two-time world record setter and owner of a technique he used to dominate his competition.

It was called the “O’Brien Glide.”

O’Brien developed the style as a sophomore in 1951 and perfected it in 1952, winning the first of two-straight NCAA titles, each by more than two feet and with at least one meet record (ultimately to 58-7¼ or 17.86m  – just shy of his then-world record 59-2¼ or 18.04m). Finishing second both times was Texas A&M’s Darrow Hooper, who had defeated O’Brien for the 1951 NCAA title by one inch.

About a month before that 1951 NCAA meet, O’Brien began experimenting on his new technique – at 3 o’clock in the morning … by street lights … on a vacant lot next to his home in Santa Monica, California. Back then, the standard method was for the athlete to stand at the rear of the ring, hop forward, turn 90 degrees and propel the 16-pound iron ball forward. O’Brien’s variation had him facing the back of the circle, then turning 180 degrees and using the spin to generate momentum.

“It’s an application of physics, which says that the longer you apply pressure or force to an inanimate object, the farther it will go,” O’Brien told Time magazine when he graced the cover on December 3, 1956. “My style is geared to allow me to apply force for the longest time before releasing the shot.”

O’Brien compiled an incredible 116-meet win streak from the 1952-56 – then the longest in the world for any event. Ironically, the streak was broken by Manhattan’s Ken Bantum a week after Bantum bettered O’Brien’s NCAA meet record with the meet’s first 60-foot effort in June 1956.

O’Brien would set a total of 16 world records and won a second Olympic gold in 1956. He earned silver in 1960 and finished fourth in 1964, when he was selected to carry the American flag in the opening ceremony.

posted: August 25, 2020
1921-2021
The NCAA's First Championships

The NCAA and collegiate track & field will mark a momentous milestone in the spring of 2021 -- the 100th anniversary of the NCAA Championships and with that, the NCAA Track & Field Championships. In June 1921, the University of Chicago hosted the first track & field championships in NCAA history.

This point can’t be emphasized enough: Not only was the event the first for NCAA track & field, but the first championships for any sport under the sponsorship of the NCAA.

To celebrate, over each of the next 365 days, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will celebrate moments, student-athletes, and coaches that have made a century’s worth of championships special. From humble beginnings to important historical milestones to the modern-day, collegiate track & field has evolved with the American society.

The 2021 edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin with preliminary round action on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla., and College Station, Texas. The championships final site and culmination of the celebration is slated for June 9-12, 2021 at the newly rebuilt Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Memorable Moments
Reese Left Her Mark On NCAA LJ
June 12, 2008

Brittney Reese won the long jump at the 2008 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships with a mark of 6.93m (22-9). Reese missed the meet record by just 1cm (½ inch).

Tupuritis Shocked The Field In 1996
May 31, 1996

Einars Tupuritis won the 800 at the 1996 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships by 0.14 seconds! Turpiritis crossed the finish line in 1:45.08.

Ellis Sent USC To A Thrilling Victory
June 9, 2018

Kendall Ellis had a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the 4×400 relay at the 2018 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships that sent Southern California to the meet title.