William Patrick "Parry" O'Brien (January 28, 1932 – April 21, 2007) was an American shot put champion. He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics where he won two gold medals (1952, 1956) and one silver medal (1960). In his last Olympic competition (1964) he placed fourth. For all of these accomplishments, O'Brien was inducted into the IAAF and U.S. Olympic halls of fame.
O'Brien enrolled in college at U.S.C., where he continued to play football as a freshman until he was kicked in the stomach during practice and injured. He then decided to concentrate on track and field, for the shot put and the discus throw).
In the early 1950s, O'Brien developed a new method for putting the 16-pound shot. The Los Angeles Times described it:
When O'Brien began throwing the shot, the standard method was to rock back on one leg, swing the other in front for balance, hop forward and propel the iron ball forward. O'Brien instead began by facing the back of the circle. He then turned 180 degrees, using the spin to generate momentum and help him throw the shot greater distances.[5]
Using this method he was able to break the world record in the shot put 17 times, becoming the first man to put the 16-pound shot more than 60 feet, and winning 116 consecutive meets in the shot put. This method became known as "O'Brien Style" or the "O'Brien Glide." He held the world record from 1953 to 1959.[5] During his career he won 18 Amateur Athletic Union championships (combined outdoor and indoor), 17 in the shot put, plus one in the discus. He won nine consecutive national indoor shot put championships, and he won eight overall outdoors, including five in a row.
As a competitor, in addition to developing new techniques for the shot put, he also made motivational tapes for himself, and experimented with Yoga. Time magazine, in a cover story[6] written during the week before the Melbourne Olympics, noted "None has been more successful than O'Brien in combining what he calls "M.A." (mental attitude) and "P.A." (physical aptitude)."[7] He was the first man to retain his Olympic shot put title since Ralph Rose of the United States did so in 1904 and 1908. During the 1960 Summer Olympics, O'Brien won the silver medal in one of the rare track meets that he did not win.
In 1964, O'Brien was the flag bearer for the American Olympic Team at the Tokyo Olympic Games.[8]
After retiring from senior competitions O'Brien worked in the banking and real estate business in Southern California.[2] He remained active in masters athletics, and he put a six kilogram shot 58'1½ " (17.72 m) at age 50 in 1984. This distance, two feet further than the listed American Masters record in his age division is still pending. Later in the 1990s he began swimming because athletics put too much stress on his joints.[9]
O'Brien died at 75, of a heart attack in the 500 yard freestyle swimming pool at the Santa Clarita Aquatics club while he was competing in a Southern Pacific Masters Association regional swimming competition. He was survived by his wife Terri, stepsons Erik Skorge and Norman Skorge, and daughters Shauna and Erin.[5][9] O'Brien was previously married to Sandra Cordrey (March 1955) and Arden Arena (June 1960).[10]
^ abcEvans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. . Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
^. Time Magazine. December 3, 1956. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008.
^Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. . Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020.
^ abLitsky, Frank (April 23, 2007) Olympic gold medalist O'Brien dies at 75. New York Times
^Parry O'Brien eyes honeymoon in sunny Italy. Californian (June 30, 1960) p. 41
External linksedit
Media related to Parry O'Brien at Wikimedia Commons
parry, brien, william, patrick, parry, brien, january, 1932, april, 2007, american, shot, champion, competed, four, consecutive, summer, olympics, where, gold, medals, 1952, 1956, silver, medal, 1960, last, olympic, competition, 1964, placed, fourth, these, ac. William Patrick Parry O Brien January 28 1932 April 21 2007 was an American shot put champion He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics where he won two gold medals 1952 1956 and one silver medal 1960 In his last Olympic competition 1964 he placed fourth For all of these accomplishments O Brien was inducted into the IAAF and U S Olympic halls of fame Parry O BrienO Brien in 1954Personal informationBirth nameWilliam Patrick O BrienFull nameWilliam Parry O Brien 1 BornJanuary 28 1932 1 Santa Monica California U S 1 DiedApril 21 2007 2007 04 21 aged 75 1 Santa Clarita California U S 1 Height6 ft 2 1 2 in 189 cm 2 Weight245 lb 111 kg 2 SportCountryUSASportAthletics Shot putEvent s Shot put discus throwAchievements and titlesPersonal best s SP 19 69 m 1966 DT 59 99 m 1965 3 Medal record Men s athleticsRepresenting the United StatesOlympic Games1952 Helsinki Shot put1956 Melbourne Shot put1960 Rome Shot putPan American Games1955 Mexico City Shot put1959 Chicago Shot putUpdated on May 25 2015 Biography editBorn in Santa Monica California Parry was very active in sports at Santa Monica High School playing end on the football team that won the California state championship in 1948 He was then awarded an athletic scholarship in football to the University of Southern California He also won the non standard for high schoolers 16 pound shot put competition at the 1949 CIF California State Meet He also finished in third place that year putting the standard 12 pound shot for high schoolers 4 O Brien enrolled in college at U S C where he continued to play football as a freshman until he was kicked in the stomach during practice and injured He then decided to concentrate on track and field for the shot put and the discus throw In the early 1950s O Brien developed a new method for putting the 16 pound shot The Los Angeles Times described it When O Brien began throwing the shot the standard method was to rock back on one leg swing the other in front for balance hop forward and propel the iron ball forward O Brien instead began by facing the back of the circle He then turned 180 degrees using the spin to generate momentum and help him throw the shot greater distances 5 Using this method he was able to break the world record in the shot put 17 times becoming the first man to put the 16 pound shot more than 60 feet and winning 116 consecutive meets in the shot put This method became known as O Brien Style or the O Brien Glide He held the world record from 1953 to 1959 5 During his career he won 18 Amateur Athletic Union championships combined outdoor and indoor 17 in the shot put plus one in the discus He won nine consecutive national indoor shot put championships and he won eight overall outdoors including five in a row As a competitor in addition to developing new techniques for the shot put he also made motivational tapes for himself and experimented with Yoga Time magazine in a cover story 6 written during the week before the Melbourne Olympics noted None has been more successful than O Brien in combining what he calls M A mental attitude and P A physical aptitude 7 He was the first man to retain his Olympic shot put title since Ralph Rose of the United States did so in 1904 and 1908 During the 1960 Summer Olympics O Brien won the silver medal in one of the rare track meets that he did not win In 1964 O Brien was the flag bearer for the American Olympic Team at the Tokyo Olympic Games 8 O Brien entered the National Track and Field Hall of Fame of the United States in 1974 Next he was chosen for the U S Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984 and then the Univ of Southern California Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 5 After retiring from senior competitions O Brien worked in the banking and real estate business in Southern California 2 He remained active in masters athletics and he put a six kilogram shot 58 1 17 72 m at age 50 in 1984 This distance two feet further than the listed American Masters record in his age division is still pending Later in the 1990s he began swimming because athletics put too much stress on his joints 9 O Brien died at 75 of a heart attack in the 500 yard freestyle swimming pool at the Santa Clarita Aquatics club while he was competing in a Southern Pacific Masters Association regional swimming competition He was survived by his wife Terri stepsons Erik Skorge and Norman Skorge and daughters Shauna and Erin 5 9 O Brien was previously married to Sandra Cordrey March 1955 and Arden Arena June 1960 10 References edit a b c d e Parry O Brien britannica com Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved May 25 2015 a b c Evans Hilary Gjerde Arild Heijmans Jeroen Mallon Bill et al Parry O Brien Olympics at Sports Reference com Sports Reference LLC Archived from the original on April 17 2020 Retrieved May 25 2015 Parry O Brien trackfield brinkster net California State Meet Results 1915 to present Hank Lawson Archived from the original on October 6 2014 Retrieved December 25 2012 a b c d Helene Elliott April 23 2007 Parry O Brien 75 revolutionized shotput throw Los Angeles Times Parry O Brien Time Magazine December 3 1956 The Great White Whale Time Magazine December 3 1956 Archived from the original on December 14 2008 Evans Hilary Gjerde Arild Heijmans Jeroen Mallon Bill et al United States Olympics at Sports Reference com Sports Reference LLC Archived from the original on April 19 2020 a b Litsky Frank April 23 2007 Olympic gold medalist O Brien dies at 75 New York Times Parry O Brien eyes honeymoon in sunny Italy Californian June 30 1960 p 41External links edit nbsp Media related to Parry O Brien at Wikimedia Commons Parry O Brien at World Athletics nbsp Parry O Brien at the USATF Hall of Fame nbsp Parry O Brien at the Team USA Hall of Fame Parry O Brien at Olympics com nbsp Parry O Brien at Olympedia nbsp Parry O Brien on You Bet Your LifeOlympic GamesPreceded byBill Disney Flagbearer for nbsp United StatesTokyo 1964 Succeeded byTerry McDermott Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Parry O 27Brien amp oldid 1191957653, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
