Rick Wanamaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s Athletics | |||
Competitor for  United States |
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| Pan American Games | |||
| Gold | Cali, Columbia 1971 | Decathlon | |
Rick Wanamaker (born in Marengo, Iowa) is an American track and basketball athlete, known principally for winning the decathlon in the 1971 Pan American Games and for blocking a shot against Lew Alcindor in the 1969 NCAA national basketball semi-finals.
Rick Wanamaker attended Iowa Valley High School in Marengo, where he played basketball. He earned a scholarship and attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he studied advertising. As a freshman, he wanted to participate in the Drake Relays, and chose the decathlon.
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[edit] Track and field
Rick Wanamaker was a top ten U.S. decathlete from 1970 to 1974.[1]
Rick was the 1970 NCAA national champion and an All-American in decathlon,[2] the 1971 AAU National Champion in decathlon, with a score of 7989,[3][4] and the 1971 gold medalist in decathlon at the Pan American Games with a score of 7648.[5][6]
Rick is one of the tallest successful decathletes, at 6'-8", 210 lbs in 1971.[3]
[edit] Basketball
Rick was a member of the Drake Bulldog basketball team that finished 2nd (or 1½, according to Drake) in the 1969 NCAA tournament. He is best known for for blocking a shot against Lew Alcindor in the 1969 NCAA national semi-finals in Louisville.[7]
[edit] Personal life
Rick and his wife Marcia maintain successful careers as real estate agents in Des Moines.[8][7]
[edit] References
- ^ All-Time U.S. Rankings — Men’s Decathlon, Track & Field News 2002. Accessed 2008-06-10.
- ^ MVC Record Books, Missouri Valley Conference. Accessed 2008-06-10
- ^ a b Ho, Ho, Ho Went The Jolly White Giant, Sports Illustrated, 1971-06-21. Accessed 2008-06-11.
- ^ History of US Nationals Results: Decathlon, Track and Field News Archive, 2005. Accessed 2008-06-12.
- ^ Pan-American Games, Athletics Weekly 2007. Accessed 2008-06-11.
- ^ Athletics at the 1971 Pan American Games
- ^ a b Drake stood up to mighty UCLA in 1969, USA Today, 2008-03-18. Accessed 2008-06-12.
- ^ Top Guns: Top players in metro real estate sales, Des Moines Business Record, 2002. Accessed 2008-06-12.
