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'{{Infobox sportsperson | name = Bob Fitch | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = Robert Fitch | fullname = | nationality = American | residence = | birth_date = July 29, 1919 | birth_place = [[Audubon, Iowa]], United States | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2003|4|15|1919|7|29}} | death_place = [[Bloomington, Indiana]], United States | height = {{height|6|ft|2|in}} | weight = | country = USA | sport = [[American football]], [[discus throw]], [[golf]] | club = | retired = | olympics = | highestranking = | pb = | show-medals = | medaltemplates = }} '''Robert "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. 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. ==Career== Born in [[Audubon, Iowa]], he 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 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, 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 = http://www.webcitation.org/6B6G1X4mj |archivedate = November 23, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://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> 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]. ''[[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 also 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 and also became 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/> He died on April 5, 2003 in [[Bloomington, Indiana]].<ref name=IUH/> ==References== {{reflist}} {{s-start}} {{s-ach|rec}} {{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]]}} {{s-end}} {{Footer US NC Discus Men}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Fitch, Bob | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Robert Fitch | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American discus thrower and coach | DATE OF BIRTH = July 29, 1919 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Audubon, Iowa, United States | DATE OF DEATH = April 15, 2003 | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitch, Bob}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1919 births]] [[Category:2003 deaths]] [[Category:American discus throwers]] [[Category:Male discus throwers]] [[Category:American male track and field athletes]] [[Category:People from Audubon, Iowa]] [[Category:College golf coaches in the United States]] [[Category:Minnesota Golden Gophers football players]] [[Category:Minnesota Golden Gophers athletes]] [[Category:Indiana Hoosiers coaches]] [[Category:Former world record holders in athletics (track and field)]] [[Category:United States Coast Guard personnel]]'