UNT track star Dave Clark named to Texas HOF

Harry · August 2, 2014

Dave Clark

Dave Clark was the number three vaulter behind Don Bragg and Ron Morriss on the United States 1960 Olympic team. Clark jumped for North Texas State University and soared a personal best of 15' 3". At Rome he tied for 18th place at 4.20 meters 13' 9".

"During the event he had made the opening height when a sudden storm struck the event. When the storm ceased, he took a warm up jump on a runway that was parallel to the actual vaulting runway. Part way through that jump he bailed out and instead of dropping into the pit, he was projected horizontally through the pit and slid across the grass and hit the concrete curbing of the track injuring his shoulder. That pretty much ended his day. He said he made friends with one of the Russian vaulters, Petrinka, but the KGB lads quashed their contacting each other in Rome.

"Another interesting story includes the Russian who broke his ankle warming up. When their poles were being inspected before the competition, Dave noticed that the Russian had put more layers of tape on his pole than were allowed and he called him on it. The officials made him take the tape off and re-wrap it. The Russian was infuriated about this and was raising a lot of hell with everybody. Unfortunately for him his day was over quickly when he broke his ankle landing in the vault box. Dave came home, got his Masters, and was a teacher for 38 years in the Dallas area." from the blog Once Upon a Time in the Vest.

At the 1960 NCAA Championships in Berkley, CA, Clark tied for 2nd at 14' 6".

Read more: Dave Clark

Dave Clark was the number three vaulter behind Don Bragg and Ron Morriss on the United States 1960 Olympic team. Clark jumped for North Texas State University and soared a personal best of 15' 3". At Rome he tied for 18th place at 4.20 meters 13' 9".

"During the event he had made the opening height when a sudden storm struck the event. When the storm ceased, he took a warm up jump on a runway that was parallel to the actual vaulting runway. Part way through that jump he bailed out and instead of dropping into the pit, he was projected horizontally through the pit and slid across the grass and hit the concrete curbing of the track injuring his shoulder. That pretty much ended his day. He said he made friends with one of the Russian vaulters, Petrinka, but the KGB lads quashed their contacting each other in Rome.

"Another interesting story includes the Russian who broke his ankle warming up. When their poles were being inspected before the competition, Dave noticed that the Russian had put more layers of tape on his pole than were allowed and he called him on it. The officials made him take the tape off and re-wrap it. The Russian was infuriated about this and was raising a lot of hell with everybody. Unfortunately for him his day was over quickly when he broke his ankle landing in the vault box. Dave came home, got his Masters, and was a teacher for 38 years in the Dallas area." from the blog Once Upon a Time in the Vest.

At the 1960 NCAA Championships in Berkley, CA, Clark tied for 2nd at 14' 6".