Mathias, Bob

Mathias, Bob

 in full Robert Bruce Mathias

(born Nov. 17, 1930, Tulare, Calif., U.S.—died Sept. 2, 2006, Fresno, Calif.) U.S. decathlete. He suffered from anemia as a child and turned to athletics to gain strength. In 1948, at age 17, he won a gold medal in the Olympic decathlon, becoming the youngest athlete to win a gold medal in an Olympic track-and-field event. He won a second decathlon gold medal in 1952; that same year he played fullback on Stanford University's gridiron football team. He won all 11 decathlon competitions he entered in his career. Mathias later served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1967–75). In 1983 he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.