Beta Sigma Profile: Bob Seagren

Robert "Bob" Seagren (born October 17, 1946) was an American pole vaulter, the 1968 Olympic champion.

A native of Pomona, California, Bob Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU and four NCAA titles indoors and outdoors. Indoors he posted eight world bests between 1966 and 1969. He was also the Pan American Games champion in 1967. He jumped his first world record (5,32m) in Fresno on May 14, 1966, followed by his world records 1967 in San Diego (5,36m), 1968 in South Lake Tahoe (5,41m) and 1972 in Eugene (5,63m).

In 1968, Bob Seagren participated in his first Olympic Games in Mexico City. In an exciting contest, he won the gold medal. He, silver medallist Claus Schiprowski (West Germany) and the bronze medal winner Wolfgang Nordwig (East Germany) had reached the same height (5,40m).

Four years later, in Munich, he's best remembered for the Olympic gold medal he didn't get. In the 1972 Summer Olympics, a last-minute ruling barred the new Cata-Pole from Olympic competition, forcing some vaulters, including Seagren, to compete with unfamiliar poles. East German Wolfgang Nordwig didn't use a Cata-Pole and won the gold medal, with Seagren coming second.

A 1968 University of Southern California graduate, Seagren took a try at professional track and later he started his career in television and movies as a show host and soap opera actor. Today, he is CEO of International City Racing, which specializes in the development, management, and implementation of road racing, endurance, and fitness events, including the Long Beach International City Marathon. He is also an active supporter of the Commission on Athletics of the California Community Colleges.

Seagren won the inaugural American Superstars sports competition in 1973 as well as the first World Superstars in 1977, his lone victories in both events.

Bob Seagren went on to become an actor, appearing in several movies and television shows, including the controversial sitcom "Soap" in 1978 in which he played Dennis Phillips.