Oxy’s Gutowski Vaults To Record Heights

His nickname was Guts and he broke a legend’s world record.

Bob Gutowski of Occidental entered the 1957 NCAA Championships as defending co-champion in the pole vault as well as the Olympic silver medalist from the previous fall in Melbourne. But he was more famous for earlier in the season having broken the world record set by Dutch Warmerdam 15 years earlier – the only older record at the time was Jesse Owens’ long jump.

The new world record – 15-8¼ (4.78m) – was in jeopardy after Gutowski cleared meet records of 15-1¾ (4.62m) and 15-5 (4.70m), the latter deposing 1955 NCAA champ Don Bragg of Villanova, who would eventually win gold at the 1960 Olympics.

As Bert Nelson wrote in Track & Field News – which he co-founded with this brother Cordner: “Chances for a new record looked excellent. And the quietly eager fans didn’t have long to wait.” Nelson had covered Gutowski’s earlier record, along with Warmerdam’s previous one among the nearly 300 he would eventually witness.

But there was a short delay for Gutowski and the fans in attendance at Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, as the bar was raised to 15-10¼ (4.83m): Gutowski made his way to the podium to receive his medal for placing fifth in the long jump earlier in the day, which was the last time an NCAA pole vault champion scored in another event in the same meet.

When Gutowski returned to the runway, it didn’t take long for him to lock in.

His first attempt was good, detailed as “a beautifully clean clearance, with some two inches to spare.” A re-measurement – required for records in those days – put it at 15-9¾ (4.82m). The effort never was ratified as a world record, though, because of a technicality no longer in effect – his pole had crossed the plane.

“I was a little surprised that I did as well as I did, because I thought I was going downhill,” Gutowski told reporters after the meet. “But Coach Chuck Coker told me to punch my knees up and drive up. I was able to do it.”

Gutowski’s life ended tragically. Less than a month after not making the 1960 Olympic team, he was killed in a two-vehicle automobile accident while serving in the Marine Corps Reserves.