Matt Gordy
Matthew Bell Gordy (December 26, 1909 – August 18, 1989) was an American
Early life
Gordy grew up in the small city of Abbeville, Louisiana. As Abbeville was home to a bamboo grove, local athletes had easy access to bamboo poles that would otherwise have been expensive, and pole vaulting became popular as a result.[1] In high school, Gordy also competed in high jump, long jump and triple jump, but LSU head coach Bernie Moore felt the pole vault would be his best event.[1]
Career
Entering the
Four jumpers, including both Graber and Gordy, cleared 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m); for Gordy, this was already a personal best.[5][6] Graber then cleared 14 ft (4.26 m) to break the tie;[6][7] Gordy was left in a three-way tie for second, which would have tied the score between LSU and USC at 55 points each.[6] On his last attempt Gordy cleared 14 ft, tying Graber for first, and LSU won the meet outright;[6] after a remeasurement, the height cleared by Graber and Gordy was ratified as 13 ft 11+1⁄16 in (4.24 m), which was a new meeting record.[8]
At the national (AAU) championships two weeks later Gordy again tied for first, this time with indoor world record holder Keith Brown of Yale.[9][10] The winning height, 14 ft (4.26 m), was Gordy's personal best; he was the tenth amateur in the world to jump 14 ft or more.[11] The 1933 national championships were Gordy's last major meet, as he graduated from LSU and went to work on the oil rigs of Louisiana and later Texas; he eventually became an Amoco drilling superintendent in Houston.[1]
Legacy
Gordy was inducted in the Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1937[12] and in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.[1][13]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Matt Gordy". Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "Tiger Team Hoped For Fifth Position". The Palm Beach Post. June 19, 1933. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- Nevada State Journal. June 18, 1933. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "Team Scores" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved December 16, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved December 16, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Tiger Rag Magazine. Archived from the originalon December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ Dunkley, Charles (Associated Press) (June 18, 1933). "Louisiana State Wins National Track Crown". Monroe Morning World. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "1934 NCAA Championship Meet Start Lists" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ Kirksey, George (Associated Press) (July 1, 1933). "Metcalfe Easy Winner in 100 and 200 Meters". Stevens Point Daily Journal. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ Dumas, Gerard. "14-FOOT ERA (4.26,7m)". Pole Vault Canada. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Members". LSUsports.net. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "Aaron Predicts Strike". The Victoria Advocate. June 24, 1985. Retrieved December 16, 2014.