Ferenc Orbán

Orbán started his athletic career in the colors of TVE Hódmezővásárhely in his hometown, where competed primarily in high jump and 110m hurdles. From 1923 he studied at the University of Szeged and competed for the Szeged AC. In 1926 and 1930 he won the Hungarian championship title in high jump and had his most memorable victory in 1927 where he won a gold medal at the World College Championships in Rome with 1.86 metres. At that tournament, he was also a member of the gold medal winning Hungarian 4 × 100 meter relay. In 1928, now in the colors of KEAC, he took part in a high jump at the Amsterdam Olympics, where he did not qualify to for final.

In 1929 Orbán got a job in Budapest and moved to BBTE. In 1930 he broke the Hungarian record, which was also the best result in Europe in that year. After years of active sports, he worked as a coach and then as a sports journalist. He was a war correspondent during World War II and in 1942 he was wounded by mine.In 1945, having married actress Blanka Szombathelyi, he left first for Switzerland and then for the United States and settled in Los Angeles, where he worked as a bank clerk. In 1972, he founded a newspaper for American Hungarians called Új Világ (New World), which he and his wife edited until they retired in 1988. During this period, he was the president of the California Hungarian Sports Club.

Personal Best: HJ – 1.935 (1930).