View source for Al Oerter

{{short description|American track & field athlete (1936–2007)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
 | honorific_prefix  = 
 | name              = Al Oerter
 | image             = Al Oerter 1960.jpg
 | alt               = Oerter holding a discus
 | caption           = Oerter at the [[1960 Summer Olympics|Rome 1960 Olympics]]
 | fullname          = Alfred Adolph Oerter Jr.<ref name=sports-reference>{{cite web|title=Al Oerter|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/oe/al-oerter-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417115416/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/oe/al-oerter-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|website=sports-reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=June 12, 2015}}</ref>
 | birth_date        = {{birth date|1936|9|19}}
 | birth_place       = [[Astoria, New York]], U.S.
 | death_date        = {{death date and age|2007|10|1|1936|9|19}}
 | death_place       = [[Fort Myers, Florida]], U.S.
 | resting_place     = 
 | resting_place_coordinates  = 
 | monuments         = 
 | residence         = 
 | education         = 
 | alma_mater        = 
 | years_active      = 
 | height            = 6 ft 3+1/2 in<ref name=sports-reference/>
 | weight            = 276 lb<ref name=sports-reference/>
 | website           = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} -->
 | module            = |<!-- Sport -->
 | country           = United States
 | sport             = Athletics
 | position          = 
 | disability        = 
 | disability_class  = 
 | weight_class      = 
 | weight_class_type = 
 | rank              = 
 | event             = [[Discus throw]], [[shot put]]
 | event_type        = 
 | collegeteam       = 
 | universityteam    = 
 | league            = 
 | league_type       = 
 | club              = [[New York Athletic Club]]
 | team              = 
 | turnedpro         = 
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 | coach             = 
 | retired           = 
 | coaching          = 
 | module2           = |<!-- Achievements and titles -->
 | worlds            = 
| regionals = 
| nationals = 
 | olympics          = 
 | paralympics       = 
 | commonwealth      = 
 | highestranking    = 
 | pb                = DT&nbsp;– 69.47 m (1980)<br />SP&nbsp;– 17.37 m (1958)<ref name=sports-reference/>|<!-- Medal record -->
| show-medals = 
 | medaltemplates    = {{MedalCountry | the {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States national athletics team|United States]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalGold|[[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]]|[[Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics&nbsp;– Men's discus throw|Discus throw]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]]|[[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics&nbsp;– Men's discus throw|Discus throw]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Tokyo]]|[[Athletics at the 1964 Summer Olympics&nbsp;– Men's discus throw|Discus throw]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Mexico City]]|[[Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics&nbsp;– Men's discus throw|Discus throw]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1959 Pan American Games|1959 Chicago]] | [[Athletics at the 1959 Pan American Games|Discus throw]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Liberty Bell Classic|Olympic Boycott Games]]}}
{{Medal|Silver| [[Liberty Bell Classic|1980 Philadelphia]] | [[Athletics at the 1980 Olympic Boycott Games|Discus throw]]}}
| medaltemplates-title = 
 | module3           = 
 | updated           = June 12, 2015
}}
'''Alfred Oerter Jr.''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɔːr|t|ər}}; September 19, 1936&nbsp;– October 1, 2007) was an American athlete and a four-time [[Olympic Games|Olympic Champion]] in the [[discus throw]]. He was the first athlete to win a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympic Games. Oerter is an inductee of the [[IAAF Hall of Fame]].

==Olympic athlete==
Oerter was born in 1936 in [[Astoria, Queens]], [[New York City]]<ref name=sports-reference/> and grew up in [[New Hyde Park, New York|New Hyde Park]]; he attended [[Sewanhaka High School]] in [[Floral Park, New York|Floral Park]]. He began his track and field career at the age of 15 when a discus landed at his feet and he threw it back past the crowd of throwers. Oerter continued throwing and eventually earned a scholarship to the [[University of Kansas]] in 1954 where he became a member of [[Delta Tau Delta]] fraternity. A large man of almost {{convert|6|ft|4|in|cm|abbr=on}} and {{convert|280|lb|kg}}, Oerter was a natural thrower. Competing for Kansas, he became the NCAA discus champion in 1957; he successfully defended his title the following year.

Oerter began his Olympic career at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]]. He was not considered the favorite but he felt a rush during the competition and he unleashed a throw of {{convert|184|ft|22|in|m}}—which, at the time, was a career best. The throw was good enough to win the competition by more than {{convert|5|in}}.

In 1957, it seemed that Oerter's career would be over at the age of 20 when he was nearly killed in an automobile accident. He recovered in time to compete at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] at [[Rome]], where he was the slight favorite over teammate [[Rink Babka]], who was the world record holder.

Babka was in the lead for the first four of the six rounds. He gave Oerter advice before his fifth throw; Oerter threw his discus {{convert|194|ft|2|in|m}}, setting an Olympic record. Babka settled for the silver medal when he was not able to beat Oerter's throw.

During the early 1960s, Oerter continued to have success and set his first world record in 1962. In the process, he was the first to break 200 feet in the discus. He was considered a heavy favorite to win a third gold medal at [[Tokyo]] in [[1964 Summer Olympics|1964]].

Oerter was hampered by injuries before the Games began. He was bothered by a neck injury that required him to wear a neck brace, and a week before the start of the competition he tore cartilage in his ribs. Oerter was competing in great pain, but he set a new Olympic standard and won a third Olympic gold medal despite not being able to take his last throw due to the pain from his ribs. He had told the doctors, "These are the Olympics. You die for them."<ref name="Olympians">{{cite web|url=https://theolympians.co/tag/al-oerter/|title=Al Oerter|date=November 3, 2017 |access-date=July 27, 2020|publisher=theolympians.co}}</ref><ref name="Museum">{{cite web|url=https://usopm.org/al-oerter/|title=Al Oerter|date=July 21, 2019 |access-date=July 27, 2020|publisher=United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum}}</ref>

[[File:Al Oerter 1968.jpg|alt=Oerter holding a discus|thumb|Oerter in 1968]]
Oerter returned to the Olympics in [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968]] at [[Mexico City]]; however, teammate [[Jay Silvester]] was cast as the favorite. Many felt Oerter, who was then 32, could not win the event because he had never thrown as far as Silvester did on his average throws. At the Olympics, however, Oerter hurled another Olympic record throw of {{convert|64.78|m}} on his third throw. His record held and he became the first [[track and field]] athlete to win gold medals in four consecutive Olympic Games. This accomplishment would be equaled many years later by fellow Americans [[Carl Lewis]] in 1996, swimmer [[Michael Phelps]] in 2016, and swimmer [[Katie Ledecky]] in 2024.

Oerter retired from athletics after the 1968 Olympics. He later eyed a comeback and took anabolic steroids in 1976 under medical supervision in order to put on muscle mass. However, he stopped the course as this affected his blood pressure and failed to give much improvement on the field. After this he advised athletes to avoid such drugs and focus on training and technique instead. He was critical of the increase of drug use and the subsequent testing in [[track and field]], stating that it had destroyed the culture of athlete camaraderie and that the banning of athletes such as [[Ben Plucknett]] was merely scapegoating by international officials.<ref>Holmstrom, David (April 2, 1990). [https://www.csmonitor.com/1990/0402/port.html Al Oerter Breaks the Age Barrier With Every Toss ]. ''Christian Science Monitor''. Retrieved on 2015-01-15.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Banning of Plucknett Called Unfair by Peers| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/29/sports/banning-of-plucknett-called-unfair-by-peers.html|work=New York Times|date=July 29, 1981|page=B7|access-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref>

Oerter did make an attempt to qualify for the American team in 1980 but finished fourth. He nonetheless set his overall personal record of {{convert|69.46|m}} that year at the age of 43. Dr. [[Gideon Ariel]], a former Olympic shot putter himself for Israel, had developed a business of [[Sports biomechanics|biomechanical]] services, and Oerter after working with Ariel—at age 43—threw a discus 27 feet farther than his best gold medal performance.<ref name="people.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20074664,00.html|title=Anything You Can Do, Computer Whiz Gideon Ariel Can Help You Do Better|publisher=People.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pheE0GplzroC|title=Popular Science|date=January 1, 1982|publisher=Bonnier Corporation}}</ref>

When filming for a TV segment, he unofficially threw about {{convert|245|ft}}, which would have set a still-standing world record. In later years, Oerter carried the [[Olympic symbols|Olympic flag]] for the [[1984 Summer Olympics]], then carried Olympic flame into the stadium for the [[1996 Olympic Games]].

==Later life, death and Art of the Olympians==
Oerter had struggled with high blood pressure his entire life, and in the 2000s, he became terminally ill with [[cardiovascular disease]]. On March 13, 2003, Oerter experienced a period of being [[clinically dead]]; a change of blood pressure medications caused a fluid build-up ([[Pericardial effusion]]) around his heart.

Oerter was inducted into the [[Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame]] on Long Island in the Track & Field Category with the Class of 1990. In 2005, Oerter was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.

As a child, Oerter had frequently traveled to his grandparents' home in Manhattan and admired their art collection. As a retired athlete, Oerter became an abstract painter. Oerter enjoyed the freedom of abstract art, and thus decided against formal schooling for his art, as he thought it might stifle his creativity. Part of Oerter's work was his "Impact" series of paintings. For these works, Oerter would lay a puddle of a paint on a tarp, and fling a discus into it to create splashing lines on a canvas positioned in front of the tarp. If the discus landed painted-face up, Oerter would sign it and give it to whoever purchased the painting.

In 2006 he founded the [[Art of the Olympians]]<ref>{{Cite web|title = Art of the Olympians {{!}} Founders Story|url = http://artoftheolympians.org/history/founders-story/|website = artoftheolympians.org|access-date = December 22, 2015}}</ref> organization and held an Olympian Art exhibition in his home town of Fort Myers.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Art of the Olympians {{!}} Timeline|url = http://artoftheolympians.org/history/timeline/|website = artoftheolympians.org|access-date = December 22, 2015}}</ref>  This first show included artworks and sculptures from 14 Olympians, including [[Florence Griffith Joyner]], [[Roald Bradstock]], [[Shane Gould]], [[Cammy Myler|Cameron Myler]], [[Rink Babka]] and [[Larry Young (racewalker)|Larry Young]]. Later that year the exhibit traveled to New York City for shows at the United Nations, the [[New York Athletic Club]] and then at the [[National Arts Club]]. Art of the Olympians also had their work on display on the giant Panasonic Astro-Vision screen in [[Times Square]] for the entire month November 2006. Oerter and other Olympian artists were also featured on the [[The Early Show|CBS Morning Show]] to discuss their New York Tour.

In mid-2007, Art of the Olympians was given the rights to use the word Olympian by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC)—an act protected by Congress. On August 1, 2007, Art of the Olympians was awarded a [[501(c)(3)]] status.

As Oerter's heart condition progressed, he was advised by cardiologists that he would require a heart transplant. Oerter dismissed the suggestion. "I've had an interesting life," he said, "and I'm going out with what I have."<ref>''Sports Illustrated'', July 2–9, 2007, p. 120.</ref> Oerter died on October 1, 2007, of [[heart failure]] in Fort Myers, Florida<ref name=sports-reference/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/news/story?id=3044699 |title=Olympic discus great Al Oerter dies at 71 |date=October 2007 |publisher=Webcitation.org |access-date=October 23, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411192052/http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/news/story?id=3044699 |archive-date=April 11, 2008 }}</ref> at the age of 71. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.<ref>[[:File:Al Oerter with family 1968.jpg]]</ref>

Upon learning of Oerter's death, track and field historian and blogger Mike Young wrote that Oerter was arguably the greatest Olympian of all time.

On March 7, 2009, the Al Oerter Recreation Center, operated by [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]], opened in [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]] in [[Flushing, Queens]].<ref>{{cite web | title=The Daily Plant : NYC Parks | website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation | date=March 10, 2009 | url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/news/daily-plant?id=21900 | access-date=May 18, 2024}}</ref>

In 2025, a collection consisting of a signed photograph, a personal practice disc, and his four gold medals was featured on [[Antiques Roadshow (American TV program)|Antiques Roadshow]], appraised at $400,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appraisal: 1956 - 1968 Al Oerter Olympic Collection |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/appraisal-1956-1968-al-oerter-olympic-collection-y6arck/ |website=PBS.org |publisher=PBS |access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|New York City|Sport of athletics}}
*[[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event]]
*[[List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q52642|c=category:Al Oerter|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|wikt=no|s=no|q=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080829160847/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2583835.ece Obituary, ''The Times'', 3 October 2007]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071015045810/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article3024708.ece Obituary, ''The Independent'', 4 October 2007]
* [http://www.mastersathletics.net/fileadmin/html/Rankings/All_Time/discusthrowmen.htm Masters T&F Discus Throw All-Time Rankings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103132855/http://www.mastersathletics.net/fileadmin/html/Rankings/All_Time/discusthrowmen.htm |date=January 3, 2010 }}
* {{sports links}}
* {{USOPC Hall of Fame|new_id=al-oerter|old_id=Al-Oerter|archive=20230224220031}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before=[[Jay Silvester]]|title=[[Discus throw#Men 2|Men's Discus World Record Holder]]|years=May 18&nbsp;– June 4, 1962<br />July 1&nbsp;– August 2, 1964|after=[[Vladimir Trusenyev]]
|before2=[[Vladimir Trusenyev]]|after2=[[Ludvík Daněk]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Discus Throw Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions Discus Men}}
{{Footer US NC Discus Men}}
{{IAAF Hall of Fame}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1956 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1960 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1964 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1968 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oerter, Al}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:American men discus throwers]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:World record holders in masters athletics]]
[[Category:American masters athletes]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:People from Astoria, Queens]]
[[Category:People from Floral Park, New York]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Nassau County, New York]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from New Hyde Park, New York]]
[[Category:Kansas Jayhawks men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Doping cases in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:American sportspeople in doping cases]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic men discus throwers]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]