Les Steers
Lester 'Les' Steers | |
---|---|
Steers, circa 1940 | |
Personal details | |
Born | (1917-06-16)June 16, 1917 Rohnerville, California |
Died | January 23, 2003(2003-01-23) (aged 85) Richland, Washington |
Lester Steers (June 16, 1917 – January 23, 2003) was an American track and field high jumper. In 1941 he broke the world record for the high-jump three times. His last record stood for 12 years.[1]
Track career
Steers attended Palo Alto High School, winning the CIF California State Meet three years in a row from 1935 to 1937[2] and San Mateo Junior College before attending the University of Oregon in 1941, competing for the 'Ducks' in the year of his greatest triumphs.[3]
Steers was a great all-round athlete who competed at the javelin, shot put and high-hurdles for his college athletics team as well as the high jump giving him the aspiration of competing as a decathlete.[4]
It was, however, as a high-jumper that he achieved his greatest success. He was NCAA (United States collegiate) champion (1941))[5] , 3 times AAU (United States national) champion (1939–41)[6] , and a gold medalist at the World University Games in 1939 (where he also won silver in the javelin and bronze in the pentathlon).[4]
As a jumper, Steers used the 'Belly Roll', a variation of the 'Western Roll'.[4]
Later life
Steers remained in Oregon reportedly working as a salesman.[7]
He died in 2003, a resident of Richland Washington.[8]
World records
Steers achieved the following world records during his athletics career:[9]
- 2.10 m (6 ft 10+3⁄4 in) in Seattle on 26 April 1941;[10]
- 2.105 m (6 ft 10+7⁄8 in) in Los Angeles on 24 May 1941;
- 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) in Los Angeles on 17 June 1941.
Note: only the third was ratified by the sports' governing body, the IAAF.
Steers is also reported to have cleared 7 feet 1/2 inch in an exhibition jump in Eugene on 27 February 1941.[11] The first official clearance of 7 feet was 15 years later by Charles Dumas.
Accolades and awards
In 1974, Steers was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame.[1]
In 1992, Steers was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame.[12]
References
- ^ a b "Les Steers". USA Track and Field. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
- ^ "California State Meet Results - 1915 to present".
- ^ "Les Steers, World Champion High-Jumper, to Attend Oregon". Eugene Register-Guard. September 23, 1940. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Steers, Les". Oregon Stars. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
- ^ "All-time NCAA Men's Results" (PDF). Track and Field News.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014". Track and Field News. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
- ^ "Former World Record High Jumper Les Steers Passes Away". PAC-12 School Sites. January 30, 2003. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
- ^ "Lester Leroy Steers". www.memorialobituaries.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 523.
- ^ "Oregon Track Star Sets High-Jump World Record at 6 Ft. 10 25/32 In". Life Magazine. May 26, 1941. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 152.
- ^ "Les Steers". University of Oregon. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
Records | ||
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Preceded by Mel Walker | Men's High Jump World Record Holder 1941-06-11 — 1953-06-27 | Succeeded by Walt Davis |
- v
- t
- e
New York Athletic Club
- 1876-8: Edwards Ficken
NAAAA
- 1879: William Wunder
- 1880: Alfred Carroll
- 1881: C.W. Durand
- 1882: Alfred Carroll
- 1883: Malcolm Ford
- 1884: J.T. Rinehart
- 1885–87: William Page
- 1888Note 1: Tim O'Connor
Amateur Athletic Union
- 1888Note 1: Daniel Webster
- 1889: R.K. Pritchard
- 1890–91: Alvah Nickerson
- 1892–95: Mike Sweeney
- 1896: Charles Powell
- 1897–1900: Irving Baxter
- 1901: Sam Jones
- 1902: Irving Baxter
- 1903-4: Sam Jones
- 1905: Herbert Kerrigan
- 1906: Neil Patterson
- 1907: Con Leahy
- 1908: Harry Porter
- 1909: Egon Erickson
- 1910: Walter Thomason
- 1911: Harry Grumpelt/Harry Porter
- 1912: John Johnstone
- 1913: Alma Richards
- 1914: Jo Loomis
- 1915: George Horine
- 1916: Wes Oler
- 1917: Clint Larsen
- 1918: Carl Rice
- 1919–20OT: John Murphy
- 1921–22: Dewey Alberts
- 1923: LeRoy Brown
- 1924: Robert Juday
- 1925–26: Harold Osborn
- 1927: Robert King
- 1928OT: Robert King/Charles McGinnis
- 1929: Henry Lassalette
- 1930–31: Anton Burg
- 1932OT: Cornelius Johnson/George Spitz/Robert van Osdel
- 1933: Cornelius Johnson
- 1934: Cornelius Johnson/Walter Marty
- 1935: Cornelius Johnson
- 1936: Cornelius Johnson/Dave Albritton
- 1937: Dave Albritton
- 1938: Mel Walker/Dave Albritton
- 1939–40: Les Steers
- 1941: Bill Stewart
- 1942: Adam Berry
- 1943: Pete Watkins
- 1944: Fred Sheffield/Willard Smith
- 1945: Dave Albritton/Lester Howe/Richard Schnacke/Joshua Williamson
- 1946–47: Dave Albritton
- 1948: Tom Schofield
- 1949: Dick Phillips
- 1950: Dave Albritton/Jack Heitzman/Jack Razzeto/Virgil Severns
- 1951: Lewis Hall
- 1952–53: Walt Davis
- 1954: Ernie Shelton
- 1955: Charles Dumas/Ernie Shelton
- 1956–59: Charles Dumas
- 1960: John Thomas
- 1961: Bob Avant
- 1962: John Thomas
- 1963: Gene Johnson
- 1964: Ed Caruthers
- 1965–67: Otis Burrell
- 1968: Ed Hanks
- 1969: Otis Burrell
- 1970–71: Reynaldo Brown
- 1972: Barry Schur
- 1973–74: Dwight Stones
- 1975: Tom Woods
- 1976–78: Dwight Stones
- 1979: Franklin Jacobs
The Athletics Congress
- 1980: Franklin Jacobs
- 1981: Tyke Peacock
- 1982: Milt Ottey
- 1983: Dwight Stones
- 1984: Jim Howard
- 1985: Brian Stanton
- 1986: Doug Nordquist
- 1987: Jerome Carter
- 1988: Doug Nordquist
- 1989: Brian Brown
- 1990–92OT: Hollis Conway
USA Track & Field
- 1993–94: Hollis Conway
- 1995–20002OT: Charles Austin
- 2001–02: Nathan Leeper
- 2003–04OT: Jamie Nieto
- 2005: Matt Hemingway
- 2006: Tora Harris
- 2007: Jim Dilling
- 2008OT: Jesse Williams
- 2009: Tora Harris
- 2010–11: Jesse Williams
- 2012OT: Jamie Nieto
- 2013–16: Erik Kynard
- 2017:Bryan McBride
- 2018–19: Jeron Robinson
- 20212020 OT: JuVaughn Harrison
- Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
- OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932 and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
- 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.