Clem Eischen

It was an upset when Clem Eischen finished second in the 1,500 at the 1948 Olympic Trials. At major meets, his best previous finish in the event was fifth in the 1946 NCAA mile, while competing for Washington State University. He also placed sixth in the NCAA mile in 1948, but he would be runner-up in the 1951 NCAA 880 yards.

Eischen worked for a few years as a teacher and coach at Hudson Bay High School in Washington state, but then earned a graduate degree in physical therapy from Stanford in 1962. He opened SportsCare Physical Therapy in Sandy, Oregon, and became an advocate for physical therapists both statewide and nationally. In the early 1960s he spoke out against therapists being shut out of Medicare, and successfully lobbied for them to be included in that program. He helped form PT-PAC, the political action committee that represents physical therapists and was President of the American Physical Therapy Association Private Practice Legislative Committee.

Personal Bests: 880y – 1:51.3 (1951); 1500 – 3:52.5 (1948); Mile – 4:13.5 (1948).