Jump to content

Bob Fitch: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
KolbertBot (talk | contribs)
Bots
1,166,042 edits
 
(38 intermediate revisions by 25 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American discus thrower and coach}}
{{for|the photographer|Bob Fitch (photographer)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Bob Fitch
| name = Bob Fitch
| image =
| image = Bob Fitch 1940.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption = Fitch in 1940
| birth_name = Robert Fitch
| birth_name = Robert Fitch
| fullname =
| fullname =
⚫
| residence =
| nationality = American
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|7|29}}
⚫
| residence =
⚫
| birth_place = [[Audubon, Iowa]], U.S.
| birth_date = July 29, 1919
⚫
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|4|15|1919|7|29}}
⚫
| birth_place = [[Audubon, Iowa]], United States
⚫
| death_place = [[Bloomington, Indiana]], U.S.
⚫
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2003|4|15|1919|7|29}}
⚫
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}
⚫
| death_place = [[Bloomington, Indiana]], United States
⚫
| height = {{height|6|ft|2|in}}
| weight =
| weight =
| country = USA
| country = USA
| sport = [[American football]], [[discus throw]], [[golf]]
| sport = [[American football]], [[discus throw]], [[golf]]
| club =
| club =
| retired =
| retired =
| olympics =
| olympics =
| highestranking =
| highestranking =
| pb = DT – 54.93 m (1946)<ref name=tf>[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=1952&Gender=M Robert Fitch]. trackfield.brinkster.net</ref>
⚫
| pb =
| show-medals =
| show-medals =
| medaltemplates =
| medaltemplates =
}}
}}
'''Robert E. "Bob" Fitch''' (July 29, 1919 – April 15, 2003) was an American athlete and coach. He broke the [[List of world records in athletics|world record]] in the [[discus throw]] in 1946 with a mark of 54.93&nbsp;m (180&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|2|3|4}}&nbsp;in). He developed a rotational technique referred to as the "Minnesota Whip" and delivered a masters thesis on the subject. His training mate [[Fortune Gordien]] went on to break world records and win Olympic medals.
'''Robert E. Fitch''' (July 28, 1919 – April 15, 2003)<ref name=tf/> was an American athlete and coach. He broke the [[List of world records in athletics|world record]] in the [[discus throw]] in 1946 with a mark of 54.93&nbsp;m (180&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|2|3|4}}&nbsp;in). He developed a rotational technique referred to as the "Minnesota Whip" and delivered a masters thesis on the subject. His training mate [[Fortune Gordien]] went on to break world records and win Olympic medals.


Fitch was a two-time [[USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|American champion]] in the discus (1942 and 1946) and was the winner of the 1942 [[NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships – Men's discus throw|NCAA Championships]]. He was also part of the [[University of Minnesota]] championship-winning [[college football]]. He later became [[golf]] coach for [[Indiana University]] and developed the team into a top level NCAA side, winning six [[Big 10 Conference]] titles during his tenure from 1957 to 1989 – a record for an Indiana coach.
Fitch was a two-time [[USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|American champion]] in the discus (1942 and 1946) and was the winner of the 1942 [[NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships – Men's discus throw|NCAA Championships]]. He was also part of the [[University of Minnesota]] championship-winning [[college football]]. He later became [[golf]] coach for [[Indiana University]] and developed the team into a top level NCAA side, winning six [[Big Ten Conference]] titles during his tenure from 1957 to 1989 – a record for an Indiana coach.


==Career==
==Career==
Born in [[Audubon, Iowa]], Fitch was the son of a veterinarian and spent the first ten years of his life in Audubon before moving with his family to [[Minneapolis]]. He went on to study at the [[University of Minnesota]]. He was part of the [[college football]] team as an [[End (American football)|end]] for the [[Minnesota Golden Gophers]] at a time when the team ranked first in the nation and overseen by coach [[Bernie Bierman]]. Greater success came in the [[discus throw]] with the [[track and field]] team.<ref name=whip>[http://www.gophersports.com/genrel/090907aai.html Bob Fitch]. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref> He won the [[NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships – Men's discus throw|NCAA Championship]] title in 1942 – Minnesota's first such champion.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/ncaa.htm NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref> He also won the [[USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|AAU national championship]] meet that year.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/usa.htm UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN 1876-1942)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref> After graduating college, he was drafted in the seventh round of the [[1942 NFL Draft]] by the [[Washington Redskins]], but chose not to pursue professional football.
Born in [[Audubon, Iowa]], Fitch was the son of a veterinarian and spent the first ten years of his life in Audubon before moving with his family to [[Minneapolis]]. He went on to study at the [[University of Minnesota]]. He was part of the [[college football]] team as an [[End (American football)|end]] for the [[Minnesota Golden Gophers]] at a time when the team ranked first in the nation and overseen by coach [[Bernie Bierman]]. Greater success came in the [[discus throw]] with the [[track and field]] team.<ref name=whip>[http://www.gophersports.com/genrel/090907aai.html Bob Fitch]. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref> He won the [[NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships – Men's discus throw|NCAA Championship]] title in 1942 – Minnesota's first such champion.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/ncaa.htm NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref> He also won the [[USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|AAU national championship]] meet that year.<ref>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/usa.htm UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN 1876–1942)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref> After graduating college, he was drafted in the seventh round of the [[1942 NFL draft]] by the [[Washington Redskins]], but chose not to pursue professional football.


After graduating, he served in the [[United States Coast Guard]] for several years and was stationed [[United States Coast Guard Academy|Coast Guard Academy]], New London, Connecticut in 1942 as a [[Boatswain's mate (United States Coast Guard)|chief boatswain's mate]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/187596680/ "Miss Helen Louise Dickensheets Chooses August 29 to Marry Robert E. Fitch"], ''[[Star Tribune|Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal]]'', Minneapolis, Minnesota, volume LXXVI, number 91, August 23, 1942, page 2.</ref> While at the Coast Guard Academy, he helped coach the football team.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/253770877/ "Coast Guard Coach Had Good Help in Football"], ''[[Binghamton Press]]'', Binghamton, New York, volume 64, number 224, January 4, 1943, page 13.</ref> While stationed at [[Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune]] as a coast guardsman, he was selected by the Associated Press as an end on the 1943 All-American Service team.<ref>Royal, Chip. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/105964169/ "All-American Service Team, Coaches Dream"], ''Wilkes-Barre Record'', Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, December 11, 1943, page 17.</ref> He was discharged in the fall of 1945 as a chief specialist after 39 months of service.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/182603776/ "Fitch Back in School! May Play"], ''Minneapolis Sunday Tribune'', Minneapolis, Minnesota, volume LXXIX, number 129, September 30, 1945, page 4.</ref>
⚫
After graduating, he worked for the [[United States Coast Guard]] for several years before returning to education at Minnesota, starting a [[master's degree]] in [[physiology]]. It was in this second stint at the university that his discus throwing reached its peak. Under the guidance of [[Jim Kelly (coach)|Jim Kelly]], Minnesota's track coach, he began experimenting with technique to find a better way of throwing the discus. Kelly credited Fitch with inventing a method of throwing called the "Minnesota Whip", which is now the accepted style worldwide.<ref name=whip/> This was a development for the sport, which frequently still had rough earth in throwing circles. It was Fitch that mastered the technique first – on June 8, 1946 he threw a [[Men's discus throw world record progression|discus throw world record]] of 54.93&nbsp;m (180&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|2|3|4}}&nbsp;in), bettering the mark of [[Adolfo Consolini]] by more than half a meter.<ref name=WR>{{cite web |title=13th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2011. |url=http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/06/10/33/61033_PDF_English.pdf |publisher=IAAF Media & Public Relations Department |location=Monte Carlo |pages=606, 607 |format=pdf |year=2011 |accessdate=10 August 2011 |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6B6G1X4mj?url=http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/06/10/33/61033_PDF_English.pdf |archivedate=October 1, 2012 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/nevada/reno/nevada-state-journal/1946/06-09/page-9 |title=New Discus Mark Set At 180' 2 |newspaper=[[Nevada State Journal]] |date=1946-06-09 |accessdate=2014-11-17}}</ref> He secured the United States discus title for a second time that year.<ref name=NC>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/usa2.htm UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN 1943-)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref>


⚫
After his military service, he then returned to education at Minnesota, starting a [[master's degree]] in [[physiology]]. It was in this second stint at the university that his discus throwing reached its peak. Under the guidance of [[Jim Kelly (coach)|Jim Kelly]], Minnesota's track coach, he began experimenting with technique to find a better way of throwing the discus. Kelly credited Fitch with inventing a method of throwing called the "Minnesota Whip", which is now the accepted style worldwide.<ref name=whip/> This was a development for the sport, which frequently still had rough earth in throwing circles. It was Fitch that mastered the technique first – on June 8, 1946, he threw a [[Men's discus throw world record progression|discus throw world record]] of 54.93&nbsp;m (180&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|2|3|4}}&nbsp;in), bettering the mark of [[Adolfo Consolini]] by more than half a meter.<ref name=WR>{{cite web |title=13th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2011. |url=http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/06/10/33/61033_PDF_English.pdf |publisher=IAAF Media & Public Relations Department |location=Monte Carlo |pages=606, 607 |year=2011 |accessdate=August 10, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818100742/http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/06/10/33/61033_PDF_English.pdf |archivedate=August 18, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/nevada/reno/nevada-state-journal/1946/06-09/page-9 |title=New Discus Mark Set At 180' 2 |newspaper=[[Nevada State Journal]] |date=June 9, 1946 |accessdate=November 17, 2014}}</ref> He secured the United States discus title for a second time that year.<ref name=NC>[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/usa2.htm UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN 1943–)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref>
⚫
Gordien went on to follow in Fitch's footsteps by winning the NCAA title, and had three straight wins at the competition from 1946 to 1948. Fitch was unable to start international competition – amateur athletes were self-funded at the time and he needed a job to live<ref name=DMR>White, Maury (2005-06-26). [http://archive.desmoinesregister.com/article/19910707/SPORTS11/50626014/Bob-Fitch-Audubon-1991 Bob Fitch, Audubon, 1991] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.is/20141108193907/http://archive.desmoinesregister.com/article/19910707/SPORTS11/50626014/Bob-Fitch-Audubon-1991 |date=November 8, 2014 }}. ''[[Des Moines Register]]''. Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref> – but Gordien went on to win the [[Pan American Games]] title in 1955 and two [[Olympic Games]] medals in 1948 and 1956.<ref>[http://www.gophersports.com/genrel/090607aao.html Fotune Gordien]. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref> The younger Gordien became the more decorated of the two, winning seven national titles between 1947 and 1954,<ref name=NC/> and broke the world record on four occasions, his best being {{T&Fcalc|59.28}} in 1953.<ref name=WR/>


⚫
Gordien went on to follow in Fitch's footsteps by winning the NCAA title, and had three straight wins at the competition from 1946 to 1948. Fitch was unable to start international competition – amateur athletes were self-funded at the time and he needed a job to live<ref name=DMR>White, Maury (June 26, 2005). [http://data.desmoinesregister.com/hall-of-fame/single.php?id=445 Bob Fitch, Audubon, 1991]. ''[[Des Moines Register]]''. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref> – but Gordien went on to win the [[Pan American Games]] title in 1955 and two [[Olympic Games]] medals in 1948 and 1956.<ref>[http://www.gophersports.com/genrel/090607aao.html Fortune Gordien]. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref> The younger Gordien became the more decorated of the two, winning seven national titles between 1947 and 1954,<ref name=NC/> and broke the world record on four occasions, his best being {{T&Fcalc|59.28}} in 1953.<ref name=WR/>
⚫
Working with Gordien while continuing his studies, Fitch produced his masters thesis ''Mechanical analysis of the discus throw'' in 1951.<ref>[http://www.worldcat.org/title/mechanical-analysis-of-the-discus-throw/oclc/148153204&referer=brief_results Mechanical analysis of the discus throw]. WorldCat. Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref> He also served as an assistant college football coach for [[Indiana University]]. He asked the Indiana athletic director if he could stop coaching to focus on his doctoral studies. The director instead offered him a position to reorganise the school's [[golf course]], which was becoming a financial drain. Fitch accepted the position, becoming the [[Indiana Hoosiers]] head coach for [[golf]] in the process.<ref name=DMR/>


⚫
Working with Gordien while continuing his studies, Fitch produced his masters thesis ''Mechanical analysis of the discus throw'' in 1951.<ref>[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/148153204 Mechanical analysis of the discus throw]. WorldCat. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref> He also served as an assistant college football coach for [[Indiana University]]. He asked the Indiana athletic director if he could stop coaching to focus on his doctoral studies. The director instead offered him a position to reorganise the school's [[golf course]], which was becoming a financial drain. Fitch accepted the position, becoming the [[Indiana Hoosiers]] head coach for [[golf]] in the process.<ref name=DMR/>
⚫
As the head of Hoosiers golf, he transformed both the team and turned the course into a profitable venture.<ref name=DMR/> He led the Hoosiers to the [[Big Ten Conference]] runner-up spot in 1958 and they won the title for the first time in 1962, then again in 1968. The team topped the Big 10 championships four times in the 1970s. On top of his six conference titles, he also led the Hoosiers to the runner-up spot ten times between 1958 and 1984. He took the previously undecorated Hoosiers into [[NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships]] competition on twelve occasions, with the team's best placing being sixth in 1974.<ref name=IUH>[http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/050903aaa.html Hoosier Athletics Mourns Loss of Former Coach]. Indiana Hoosiers (2009-05-09). Retrieved on 2014-11-08.</ref> Despite strong results in sporting achievements, Fitch emphasised academics first and foremost for [[student-athlete]]s. His charges remembered Fitch pushing them hard both physically and academically, in the style of his previous coach Bernie Bierman. After his retirement in 1989, Fitch later reflected "I'm mighty proud that for 10 straight years my golf team led all athletic teams on campus in grade-point average and only three players didn't graduate in the 34 years I coached golf".<ref name=DMR/> His 32 years as Hoosiers golf head coach made him the longest-tenured coach in Indiana University history.<ref name=IUH/>


⚫
As the head of Hoosiers golf, he transformed both the team and turned the course into a profitable venture.<ref name=DMR/> He led the Hoosiers to the [[Big Ten Conference]] runner-up spot in 1958 and they won the title for the first time in 1962, then again in 1968. The team topped the Big Ten championships four times in the 1970s. On top of his six conference titles, he also led the Hoosiers to the runner-up spot ten times between 1958 and 1984. He took the previously undecorated Hoosiers into [[NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships]] competition on twelve occasions, with the team's best placing being sixth in 1974.<ref name=IUH>[http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/050903aaa.html Hoosier Athletics Mourns Loss of Former Coach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108213716/http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/050903aaa.html |date=November 8, 2014}}. Indiana Hoosiers (May 9, 2009). Retrieved on November 8, 2014.</ref> Despite strong results in sporting achievements, Fitch emphasised academics first and foremost for [[student-athlete]]s. His charges remembered Fitch pushing them hard both physically and academically, in the style of his previous coach Bernie Bierman. After his retirement in 1989, Fitch later reflected "I'm mighty proud that for 10 straight years my golf team led all athletic teams on campus in grade-point average and only three players didn't graduate in the 34 years I coached golf".<ref name=DMR/> His 32 years as Hoosiers golf head coach made him the longest-tenured coach in Indiana University history.<ref name=IUH/>
He died on April 5, 2003 in [[Bloomington, Indiana]].<ref name=IUH/>

On August 29, 1942, Fitch married Helen Dichensheets.<ref>[[:File:Bob Fitch marriage 1942.jpg]]</ref> He died on April 5, 2003, in [[Bloomington, Indiana]].<ref name=IUH/>

==Head coaching record==
===Football===
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = [[Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings football|Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings]]
| conf = [[North Central Conference]]
| startyear = 1947
| endyear = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = [[1947 college football season|1947]]
| name = Augustana
| overall = 3–5
| conference = 2–3
| confstanding = 5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
⚫
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Augustana
| overall = 3–5
| confrecord = 2–3
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 3–5
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
| legend = no
}}


==References==
==References==
Line 47: Line 86:
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before=[[Adolfo Consolini]]|title=[[Men's discus throw world record]] holder
{{succession box|before=[[Adolfo Consolini]]|title=[[Men's discus throw world record]] holder
|years=<!-- This is the date the mark was ratified-->8 June 1946 – 10 October 1948|after=[[Adolfo Consolini]]}}
|years=<!-- This is the date the mark was ratified-->June 8, 1946 – October 10, 1948|after=[[Adolfo Consolini]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}
{{Augustana University Vikings football coach navbox}}
{{Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings football coach navbox}}
{{Footer US NC Discus Men}}
{{Footer US NC Discus Men}}
{{Redskins1942DraftPicks}}
{{Redskins1942DraftPicks}}
{{1940 Minnesota Golden Gophers football navbox}}
{{1941 Minnesota Golden Gophers football navbox}}

{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitch, Bob}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitch, Bob}}
Line 59: Line 102:
[[Category:American football ends]]
[[Category:American football ends]]
[[Category:Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings football coaches]]
[[Category:Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings football coaches]]
[[Category:Camp Lejeune Marines football players]]
[[Category:Indiana Hoosiers football coaches]]
[[Category:Indiana Hoosiers football coaches]]
[[Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches]]
[[Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches]]
[[Category:Minnesota Golden Gophers football players]]
[[Category:Minnesota Golden Gophers football players]]
[[Category:College golf coaches in the United States]]
[[Category:College golf coaches in the United States]]
[[Category:College men's track and field athletes in the United States]]
[[Category:Minnesota Golden Gophers men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Former world record holders in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:United States Coast Guard personnel]]
[[Category:United States Coast Guard non-commissioned officers]]
[[Category:People from Audubon, Iowa]]
[[Category:People from Audubon, Iowa]]
[[Category:Track and field people from Indiana]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Indiana]]
[[Category:American military sports coaches]]
[[Category:United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]

Latest revision as of 22:26, 22 November 2024

For the photographer, see Bob Fitch (photographer).

Bob Fitch
Fitch in 1940
Personal information
Birth nameRobert Fitch
Born(1919-07-29)July 29, 1919
Audubon, Iowa, U.S.
DiedApril 15, 2003(2003-04-15) (aged 83)
Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Sport
CountryUSA
SportAmerican football, discus throw, golf
Achievements and titles
Personal bestDT – 54.93 m (1946)[1]

Robert E. Fitch (July 28, 1919 – April 15, 2003)[1] was an American athlete and coach. He broke the world record in the discus throw in 1946 with a mark of 54.93 m (180 ft 2+3⁄4 in). He developed a rotational technique referred to as the "Minnesota Whip" and delivered a masters thesis on the subject. His training mate Fortune Gordien went on to break world records and win Olympic medals.

Fitch was a two-time American champion in the discus (1942 and 1946) and was the winner of the 1942 NCAA Championships. He was also part of the University of Minnesota championship-winning college football. He later became golf coach for Indiana University and developed the team into a top level NCAA side, winning six Big Ten Conference titles during his tenure from 1957 to 1989 – a record for an Indiana coach.

Career

[edit]

Born in Audubon, Iowa, Fitch was the son of a veterinarian and spent the first ten years of his life in Audubon before moving with his family to Minneapolis. He went on to study at the University of Minnesota. He was part of the college football team as an end for the Minnesota Golden Gophers at a time when the team ranked first in the nation and overseen by coach Bernie Bierman. Greater success came in the discus throw with the track and field team.[2] He won the NCAA Championship title in 1942 – Minnesota's first such champion.[3] He also won the AAU national championship meet that year.[4] After graduating college, he was drafted in the seventh round of the 1942 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, but chose not to pursue professional football.

After graduating, he served in the United States Coast Guard for several years and was stationed Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut in 1942 as a chief boatswain's mate.[5] While at the Coast Guard Academy, he helped coach the football team.[6] While stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune as a coast guardsman, he was selected by the Associated Press as an end on the 1943 All-American Service team.[7] He was discharged in the fall of 1945 as a chief specialist after 39 months of service.[8]

After his military service, he then returned to education at Minnesota, starting a master's degree in physiology. It was in this second stint at the university that his discus throwing reached its peak. Under the guidance of Jim Kelly, Minnesota's track coach, he began experimenting with technique to find a better way of throwing the discus. Kelly credited Fitch with inventing a method of throwing called the "Minnesota Whip", which is now the accepted style worldwide.[2] This was a development for the sport, which frequently still had rough earth in throwing circles. It was Fitch that mastered the technique first – on June 8, 1946, he threw a discus throw world record of 54.93 m (180 ft 2+3⁄4 in), bettering the mark of Adolfo Consolini by more than half a meter.[9][10] He secured the United States discus title for a second time that year.[11]

Gordien went on to follow in Fitch's footsteps by winning the NCAA title, and had three straight wins at the competition from 1946 to 1948. Fitch was unable to start international competition – amateur athletes were self-funded at the time and he needed a job to live[12] – but Gordien went on to win the Pan American Games title in 1955 and two Olympic Games medals in 1948 and 1956.[13] The younger Gordien became the more decorated of the two, winning seven national titles between 1947 and 1954,[11] and broke the world record on four occasions, his best being 59.28 m (194 ft 5+3⁄4 in) in 1953.[9]

Working with Gordien while continuing his studies, Fitch produced his masters thesis Mechanical analysis of the discus throw in 1951.[14] He also served as an assistant college football coach for Indiana University. He asked the Indiana athletic director if he could stop coaching to focus on his doctoral studies. The director instead offered him a position to reorganise the school's golf course, which was becoming a financial drain. Fitch accepted the position, becoming the Indiana Hoosiers head coach for golf in the process.[12]

As the head of Hoosiers golf, he transformed both the team and turned the course into a profitable venture.[12] He led the Hoosiers to the Big Ten Conference runner-up spot in 1958 and they won the title for the first time in 1962, then again in 1968. The team topped the Big Ten championships four times in the 1970s. On top of his six conference titles, he also led the Hoosiers to the runner-up spot ten times between 1958 and 1984. He took the previously undecorated Hoosiers into NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships competition on twelve occasions, with the team's best placing being sixth in 1974.[15] Despite strong results in sporting achievements, Fitch emphasised academics first and foremost for student-athletes. His charges remembered Fitch pushing them hard both physically and academically, in the style of his previous coach Bernie Bierman. After his retirement in 1989, Fitch later reflected "I'm mighty proud that for 10 straight years my golf team led all athletic teams on campus in grade-point average and only three players didn't graduate in the 34 years I coached golf".[12] His 32 years as Hoosiers golf head coach made him the longest-tenured coach in Indiana University history.[15]

On August 29, 1942, Fitch married Helen Dichensheets.[16] He died on April 5, 2003, in Bloomington, Indiana.[15]

Head coaching record

[edit]

Football

[edit]
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Augustana (South Dakota) Vikings (North Central Conference) (1947)
1947 Augustana 3–5 2–3 5th
Augustana: 3–5 2–3
Total: 3–5

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Robert Fitch. trackfield.brinkster.net
  2. ^ a b Bob Fitch. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  3. ^ NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  4. ^ UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN 1876–1942). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  5. ^ "Miss Helen Louise Dickensheets Chooses August 29 to Marry Robert E. Fitch", Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, volume LXXVI, number 91, August 23, 1942, page 2.
  6. ^ "Coast Guard Coach Had Good Help in Football", Binghamton Press, Binghamton, New York, volume 64, number 224, January 4, 1943, page 13.
  7. ^ Royal, Chip. "All-American Service Team, Coaches Dream", Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, December 11, 1943, page 17.
  8. ^ "Fitch Back in School! May Play", Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota, volume LXXIX, number 129, September 30, 1945, page 4.
  9. ^ a b "13th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2011" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2011. pp. 606, 607. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  10. ^ "New Discus Mark Set At 180' 2". Nevada State Journal. June 9, 1946. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  11. ^ a b UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN 1943–). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d White, Maury (June 26, 2005). Bob Fitch, Audubon, 1991. Des Moines Register. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  13. ^ Fortune Gordien. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  14. ^ Mechanical analysis of the discus throw. WorldCat. Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  15. ^ a b c Hoosier Athletics Mourns Loss of Former Coach Archived November 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Indiana Hoosiers (May 9, 2009). Retrieved on November 8, 2014.
  16. ^ File:Bob Fitch marriage 1942.jpg
Records
Preceded by Men's discus throw world record holder
June 8, 1946 – October 10, 1948 		Succeeded by


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Bob_Fitch&oldid=1259012461"