Unique Discus History For Oerter In 1958

Al Oerter of Kansas had won the 1956 Olympic gold medal and 1957 NCAA Championships in the discus, but in 1958 found himself in a most unique situation at the NCAA meet.

He was tied for first with Rink Babka of Southern California – and the tie could not be broken.

Prior to 1963, the NCAA had no tie-breaking procedures in field events, and from 1921 to 1962, there were 33 first-place ties in NCAA Championship field events – 16 each in the high jump and pole vault. The discus in 1958 was the only non-vertical jump to end knotted up.

Here’s how the unprecedented competition at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, California, unfolded.

Oerter led the discus after the trials on Day 1 at 186-2 (56.74m) – then the second-longest effort in meet history. Babka had thrown 184-7 (56.26m) in the trials, but on the second round of the finals, improved to 186-2 – matching Oerter for first. While Babka’s final attempt was a foul, Oerter responded with a toss estimated at 184 feet – but no one knows as only the longest attempt by each athlete was measured, and that included the trials unless there was an improvement in the finals.

Afterwards Oerter – a native of New Hyde Park on New York’s Long Island – told Cordner Nelson of Track & Field News, “I’m disappointed, but it’s nice for both of us to end our college careers in a tie.”

In third place was Utah State’s Jay Silvester, who launched a PR 181-8 (55.38m) in the finals to mark the first time in meet history that two – let alone three – throwers went beyond 180 feet.

The trio of Oerter, Babka and Silvester likely have the most accomplished collective careers from any NCAA 1-2-3, as they combined to rack up nine Olympic finals with six medals (Oerter four golds, Babka and Silvester each a silver) and break the world record 10 times (Silvester with five, Oerter four and Babka one).

Oerter, of course, made history by becoming the first athlete to win an Olympic event four times (the discus in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968). Incredibly, in each of his Olympic victories he set an Olympic record, beat the reigning world record holder – and was not the favorite to win.

The well-liked Oerter would later make light of his Olympic success, telling The Olympian magazine in 1991: “The first one, I was very young; the second, not very capable; the third, very injured; the fourth, old.”