View source for Ken Carpenter (discus thrower)

{{Short description|American discus thrower}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = 
| image          = Ken Carpenter 1936.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = Carpenter in 1936 
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = 
| nationality    = 
| residence      = 
| birth_date     = April 19, 1913
| birth_place    = [[Compton, California]], U.S.
| death_date     = March 15, 1984 (aged 70) 
| death_place    = [[Buena Park, California]], U.S.
| height         = 190 cm
| weight         = 102 kg
| country        = 
| sport          = Athletics
| event = [[Discus throw]]
| pb = 53.08 m (1936)<ref name=sr/><ref name=tf/>
| club           = USC Trojans, Los Angeles
| alma_mater = [[University of Southern California]]
| retired        = 
| olympics       = 
| highestranking = 
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry |  the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalGold| [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]]| [[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics - Men's discus throw|Discus throw]]}}
}}

'''William Kenneth Carpenter''' (April 19, 1913 – March 15, 1984) was an American [[discus throw]]er. He won the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] and AAU titles in 1935 and 1936, becoming the first two-time NCAA champion in a weight throw event from the [[University of Southern California]] (USC).  In 1936 Carpenter won an Olympic gold medal,<ref name=sr/>  and between 1936 and 1940 held the American record in the discus.<ref name=hall/>

Carpenter graduated from [[Compton High School]], where he was a track and field star.  After attending USC, he went on to serve in the [[United States Navy]], and then began a 33-year-long career as a coach and teacher at the [[College of the Sequoias]] and [[Compton Community College]]. In 2003 he was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.<ref name=hall/>

Carpenter appears in [[Leni Riefenstahl]]'s film ''[[Olympia (1938 film)|Olympia]]'' about the 1936 Olympic Games. He is also mentioned by Viktor Chemmel, a character in [[Markus Zusak]]'s 2006 bestselling novel ''[[The Book Thief]]''.

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=sr>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417175239/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/ken-carpenter-2.html Ken Carpenter]. sports-reference.com</ref>
<ref name=hall>[http://www.usctrojans.com/genrel/101902aaa.html 2003 Inductees For USC Athletic Hall Of Fame Announced]. usctrojans.com (October 19, 2002)</ref>
<ref name=tf>[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=1014&Gender=M Kenneth Carpenter]. trackfield.brinkster.net</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Discus Throw Men}}
{{Footer US NC Discus Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1936 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Ken}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:1984 deaths]]
[[Category:American male discus throwers]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:USC Trojans men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from California]]
[[Category:Compton High School alumni]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]


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