Fred Hansen

On 5 June 1964, Fred Hansen of Rice became the second man to ever clear 17 feet in the pole vault, following John Pennell. His winning height that day in Houston was actually 17-1 (5.20) and eight days later at the San Diego Invitational he raised the record to 17-2 (5.23). He then won the AAU title at 17-0 (5.18) and in July, in the match against the USSR in Los Angeles, he pushed the world record up to 17-4 (5.28) and rounded off a memorable season by taking the Olympic gold medal.

Hansen became a practicing dentist in Dallas and later Houston. He was also an accomplished golfer, and played in the match play portion of the 1980 U.S. Amateur golf championship.

Personal Bests: LJ – 23-10 (7.26) (1961); PV – 17-4 (5.28) (1964).