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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Olympic Medalist John Woodruff Passes Away

Posted November 1st, 2007 at 6:48 PM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

According to The New York Times, National Track & Field Hall of Famer John Woodruff died Tuesday in Fountain Hills, Ariz. He was 92.

Best known for his amazing come-from-behind victory in the 800 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Woodruff died of atrial fibrillation and chronic renal failure.

Of the 12 American men who won gold medals at the 1936 Olympics, Woodruff was the last survivor.

While only a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh in 1936, Woodruff took the track world by storm by finishing second in the 800 meters at the National AAU meet, then winning the Olympic Trials.

Despite his inexperience, he was quickly established as the favorite at the Berlin Olympics. He didn’t disappoint, though he had an anxious moment in the final when he found himself boxed in. He pulled a tactical coup, virtually slowing to a stop and waiting until the entire field passed him, then moving into the third lane and sprinting from last to first. His winning time was 1:52.9.
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