Rick Wanamaker
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| Born | 1948-03-20 | ||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rick Wanamaker (born March 20, 1948 in Marengo, Iowa) is an American track and basketball athlete, known principally for winning the decathlon in the 1971 Pan American Games and for blocking a shot against Lew Alcindor in the 1969 NCAA national basketball semi-finals.
Rick Wanamaker attended Iowa Valley High School in Marengo, where he played basketball. He earned a scholarship and attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he studied advertising. As a freshman, he wanted to participate in the Drake Relays, and chose the decathlon.
Track and field
Rick Wanamaker was a top ten U.S. decathlete from 1970 to 1974.[1]
Rick was the 1970 NCAA national champion and an All-American in decathlon,[2] the 1971 AAU National Champion in decathlon, with a score of 7989,[3][4]
Rick Wanamaker was the 1971 gold medalist in decathlon at the Pan American Games with a score of 7648.[5][6] Injured prior to the 1972 Munich Olympic trials.
Rick is one of the tallest successful decathletes, at 6'-8", 210 lbs in 1971.[3]
Basketball
Rick was a member of the Drake Bulldog basketball team that finished third in the 1969 NCAA basketball tournament. He is best known for blocking a shot against Lew Alcindor in the 1969 NCAA national semi-finals in Louisville.[7]
Block of Lew Alcindor's shot, now Kareem Abdul Jabbar, is one the 100 top plays in NCAA tournament history, according to www.BleacherReport.com. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1075663-the-100-greatest-plays-in-college-basketball-history/page/2
Personal life
Rick and his wife Marcia maintain successful careers as real estate agents in Des Moines.[7][8]
References
- ↑ All-Time U.S. Rankings — Men’s Decathlon, Track & Field News 2002. Accessed 2008-06-10.
- ↑ MVC Record Books, Missouri Valley Conference. Accessed 2008-06-10
- 1 2 Ho, Ho, Ho Went The Jolly White Giant, Sports Illustrated, 1971-06-21. Accessed 2008-06-11.
- ↑ History of US Nationals Results: Decathlon, Track and Field News Archive, 2005. Accessed 2008-06-12.
- ↑ Pan-American Games, Athletics Weekly 2007. Accessed 2008-06-11.
- ↑ Athletics at the 1971 Pan American Games
- 1 2 Drake stood up to mighty UCLA in 1969, USA Today, 2008-03-18. Accessed 2008-06-12.
- ↑ Top Guns: Top players in metro real estate sales, Des Moines Business Record, 2002. Accessed 2008-06-12.
External links
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