GREENBURGH'S OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS...

DID YOU KNOW THAT GREENBURGH TIES TO OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS—2 gold medal
winners were from Greenburgh!
Louis Jones, cousin of
Greenburgh Town Councilman Ken Jones, was a Greenburgh resident who was very
involved in the community. Lou, who passed away in 2006, was a former athlete
and winner of the the gold medal in the 4x400 m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics Lou Jones won the 400 m at the
1955 Pan-American Games, where he set a new world record of 45.4. He was also a member of the
gold medal winning American 4x400 m relay team.Just four months before the Melbourne Olympics, Jones broke his own 400 m world record, clocking
45.2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the US Olympic Trials, thus becoming a main favourite at this
event in Melbourne.But in the Olympic 400 m final, Jones was off form, and
managed to finish only in a disappointing fifth place, 1.50 seconds behind
teammate Charles Jenkins. A few days later, Jones partly compensated
for his disappointment, running the second leg in the gold medal winning
American 4x400 m relay team. Jones graduated from Manhattan College in 1954.
I worked with Lou during my
tenure as a Westchester County Legislator. He was modest, hard working,
dedicated to public service and made a positive contribution to the Greenburgh
community. I remember Lou talking to me about how different gold medal winners
are treated today. In the coming days gold medal winners will benefit
financially from their wins – they will be asked to endorse products that will
lead to $$$. During the 1950s that did not happen.
Another champion
with ties to Greenburgh: Larry James. Larry James was born on November
6, 1947,, and took up track in seventh grade.A double medalist at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, James also set world records and won NCAA titles during his track career. James won the silver
medal in the 400 m with his time of 43.97 seconds at the 1968 Summer Olympics,
bettering the existing world record but placing him second behind teammate (and
fellow Hall of Famer) Lee Evans (43.86). James added a gold medal at the Mexico City
Games by running the third leg on the U.S. 4x400 m relay team, which set a world record of 2:56.16 seconds, which was eventually tied in
1988 but was not beaten until 1992.
James set the 400 m world record of 44.1
seconds in placing second to Evans at the 1968 Olympic Trials at Echo Summit, California, when Evans' winning time of 44.0 was disallowed by
the IAAF because he wore illegal brush spike shoes. James was a
double gold medalist at the 1970 World University Games, winning the 400 m
hurdles and running the anchor leg on Team USA's 4x400 m relay team (3:03.33).
As a collegian at Villanova University under Hall of Fame coach Jumbo Elliott, James won the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship 440 yd (400 m)
title in 1970 and NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship crowns at that
distance in 1968, 1969 and 1970. At the 1968 Penn Relays, his anchor leg of 43.9 was the fastest ever run
in the history of the relay carnival and sparked Villanova's scintillating
comeback victory over Rice University. Larry died on his 61^st birthday in
2008. His mother, Martha James, works at the Theodore Young Community
Center –helping seniors.
One of the reasons why I am
supportive of the proposed sports bubble at Frank’s nursery is because I believe
that our community needs more fields for our youth. There is no reason why
Greenburgh can’t produce more gold medal winners. If we provide our youth with
the resources, training and facilities
Do you know any other
Greenburgh resident (past or present) who was involved in the Olympics? Do you
know any Olympic champs with ties to our community? Or…anyone who is working
with Olympic teams? During the Olympic games I’d like to highlight their
involvement. Please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com.
PAUL
FEINER