Dick Railsback

Dick Railsback
Personal information
Annika Rohlén and Dick Railsback
Born	March 19, 1946 Pasadena, California
Died	June 30, 2021 Boise, Idaho
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Pole vault
Club	Gefle IF (1969–71)
Achievements and titles
Personal best	5.40 m (1969)^[1]

Richard ‘Dick’ Railsback (born March 19, 1946) was a retired American pole vaulter. In 1967 he was ranked fifth in the world. Next year he won the national title, but placed fourth at the Olympic Trials and was not selected for the 1968 Olympic team.^[1] He attended the 1976 Summer Olympics as a coach for the American athletics team.^[2]

In August 1970 Railsback married Annika Rohlén, an interpreter during his 1967 visit to Sweden. In 1969–71 he mostly stayed in Sweden and competed for Gefle IF. Dick and Annika have a daughter Michelle and son Michael. Both were born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, but spent every summer in Sweden until ca. 2001; they hold dual citizenship and speak Swedish. Both competed for Gefle IF in hurdle running, and Michelle also in the pole vault and flat running.^[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dick Railsback.

^ ^a ^b Dick Railsback. trackfield.brinkster.net
^ ^a ^b Dick Railsback turns 65! idrottonline.se (March 19, 2011)

US National Championship winners in men's pole vault

1876–1878
New York Athletic Club

1877: George McNichol
1878: Alfred Ing

1879–1888
NAAAA

1879–81: William Van Houten
1882: B.F. Richardson
1883–86: Hugh Baxter
1887: Tom Ray (GBR) & Hugh Baxter
1888^{Note 1}: G.B. Quinn

1888–1979
Amateur Athletic Union

1888^{Note 1}: Lincoln Godshall
1889: Lat Stones (GBR) & D.F. O'Brien
1890: Walter Rodenbaugh
1891–92: Theodore Luce
1893–94: Christian Buchholz
1895: Hermann Thomas
1896: Franklin Allis
1897: Jesse Hurlburt
1898: Raymond Clapp
1899: Irving Baxter
1900: Bascom Johnson
1901: Charles Dvorak
1902: August Anderson
1903: Charles Dvorak
1904: H.L. Gardner
1905: Roy Heater
1906: LeRoy Samse
1907: Ed Cook
1908: William Halpenny (CAN) & Claude Allen
1909: Roy Paulding
1910: Harry Babcock
1911: Ed Cook, Frank Coyle & Sam Bellah
1912: Harry Babcock
1913: Stanley Wagoner
1914: Ken Curtis
1915: Sam Bellah
1916: Sherman Landers
1917: Edward Knourek
1918: Carl Buck
1919–20: Frank Foss
1921–22: Edward Knourek
1923–24: Edwin Myers
1925: Harry Smith
1926: Paul Harrington
1927–28: Lee Barnes
1929–30: Fred Sturdy
1931: Jack Wool
1932: Bill Graber
1933: Keith Brown & Matt Gordy
1934: Keith Brown, Bill Graber & Wirt Thompson
1935: Earle Meadows & Bill Sefton
1936: George Varoff
1937: Bill Sefton
1938: Cornelius Warmerdam
1939: George Varoff
1940–44: Cornelius Warmerdam
1945: Boo Morcom & Robert Phelps
1946: Irving Moore
1947: Boo Morcom
1948: Boo Morcom & Bob Richards
1949–51: Bob Richards
1952: Bob Richards & Don Laz
1953: Don Laz & George Mattos
1954–57: Bob Richards
1958: Ron Morris
1959: Don Bragg
1960: Aubrey Dooley
1961–62: Ron Morris
1963: Brian Sternberg
1964: Fred Hansen
1965: John Pennel
1966: Bob Seagren
1967: Paul Wilson
1968: Dick Railsback
1969–70: Bob Seagren
1971: Jan Johnson
1972: Dave Roberts
1973: Mike Cotton
1974: Dave Roberts
1975: Don Baird (AUS) * Terry Porter
1976: Earl Bell
1977: Mike Tully
1978: Dan Ripley
1979: Mike Tully

1980–1992
The Athletics Congress

1980: Tom Hintnaus
1981: Billy Olson
1982: Dan Ripley & Billy Olson
1983: Jeff Buckingham
1984: Earl Bell
1985: Joe Dial
1986: Mike Tully
1987: Joe Dial
1988–89: Kory Tarpenning
1990: Earl Bell
1991–92: Tim Bright

1993–onwards
USA Track & Field

1993–95: Scott Huffman
1996–97: Lawrence Johnson
1998–99: Jeff Hartwig
2000–01: Lawrence Johnson
2002–03: Jeff Hartwig
2004: Tim Mack
2005: Brad Walker
2006: Russ Buller
2007: Brad Walker
2008: Derek Miles
2009: Brad Walker
2010: Mark Hollis
2011: Derek Miles
2012–13: Brad Walker
2014–19: Sam Kendricks
2020 not held
2021^{2020 OT}: Chris Nilsen

Notes

Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships

OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.