James Fuchs, 82; Shot-Put Innovator
Bill Schenley
Photo: http://snipurl.com/1baphu
FROM: The New York Times ~
By Douglas Martin
James E. Fuchs, who developed a new way
to heave the shot to compensate for a leg injury
and used the technique to set world records
and dominate shot-putting over two remarkable
seasons, died in Manhattan on Oct. 8. He was
82.
His death was confirmed by his daughter
K. C. Fuchs, who said he had had numerous
illnesses.
Mr. Fuchs, who won 88 consecutive meets
and set four world records, went on to become
a successful businessman in the communications
and human resources fields. He also collaborated
with George M. Steinbrenner, the Yankees'
principal owner, to establish a foundation
to provide educational scholarships to the
children of police officers and firefighters killed
in the line of duty.
Track and Field News ranked Mr. Fuchs
(pronounced Fewsh) the No. l shot-putter in
the world in both the 1949 and 1950 seasons,
during which he set four world records for the
standard 16-pound shot, the last of which was
58 feet 10 3/4 inches on April 29, 1950.
The current world record is 75 feet 10.2 inches,
set by Randy Barnes in 1990.
Mr. Fuchs won bronze medals in both the 1948
and 1952 Olympics, and he was a gold medalist
in the shot-put and discus at the first
Pan American Games, in 1951.
He earned the nickname The Magnificent Wreck
for his competitiveness in the face of adversity,
injury and sickness. When he won his first
Olympic medal in London, he had strep throat and
a 104-degree temperature. When he captured his
second in Helsinki, he had a badly injured hand.
He took up the shot-put after injuring his left knee
playing high school football in Chicago. As he
recuperated from surgery, at Yale, he began
experimenting with shot-put exercises.
He found that his injury did not permit him
to perform the usual shot-put technique, which
involved coming to a stop before "putting" the
metal ball, known as the shot.
So he came up with a more fluid catapult motion
that eliminated the need to stop and cock. Not only
did his method help him win, but it also became
widely copied and helped others succeed.
He called it "the sideways glide."
In 1953, Parry O'Brien surpassed Mr. Fuchs's
record with the "backwards glide," an even more
radical technique using a 180-degree turn. He used
it to shatter the 60-foot barrier, which had loomed
as a goal in shot-putting much as the four-minute
mile had in distance running.
James Emanuel Fuchs was born in Chicago on
Dec. 6, 1927, and was a schoolboy sensation on
the football field for Hyde Park High. He became
known as the fastest big man in America, but injuries
plagued his football career at Yale, where he was
a fullback.
In track, at 215 pounds, he ran 100 yards in less
than 10 seconds, but he hurt his leg in the dashes,
and his Yale coaches restricted him to the discus
and the shot.
Mr. Fuchs dominated shot-putting without lifting
weights, something virtually all shot-putters do now.
He told The Los Angeles Times in 1994 that he
believed he could have easily surpassed 60 feet had
he gained weight through strength training.
Mr. Fuchs spent 20 years as a communications
executive, working for NBC, Curtis Publishing and
Mutual Sports, of which he was president. From
1971 to 1994, he was the chairman and chief
executive of Fuchs, Cuthrell & Company, which
specialized in corporate executive outplacement.
He later led other companies, including one that
developed environmentally friendly inks.
In 1981, Mr. Steinbrenner, in a conversation with
his friend Mr. Fuchs, remarked how shaken he had
been at a police officer's funeral. When the flag
was folded and handed to the officer's children,
as Mr. Steinbrenner told the story, he was gripped
by a thought: "What happens to the schooling of
those kids?"
The two men decided to start the Silver Shield
Foundation to give financial aid to the children
of peace officers in the New York metropolitan
area who were killed while on duty.
Mr. Steinbrenner helped get things started by
donating to the foundation the net proceeds of
a Yankee game. Mr. Fuchs became chairman and
executive director.
Silver Shield assisted 900 children of victims
of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. When
a case is taken on, $20,000 is automatically set
aside for the child's tuition, tutoring fees and
other expenses.
Mr. Fuchs's marriages to Barrington King Fuchs
and Anne Sutherland Fuchs ended in divorce.
He is survived by his brother, Richard; five
daughters from his first marriage, Bettina
McCarthy, Barrington Greenough, Holly Fuchs,
Victoria Holland and K. C. Fuchs; two sons
from his second marriage, Nicholas and Slater;
his fianc�e, Mary St. George; and seven
grandchildren.
Shot-putters may not be as well known as
baseball players, but Mr. Fuchs's achievements
elevated his visibility. He was kicked out of
Central Park, where he was practicing for the
1952 Olympics, because of the large holes his
shot was making on the grass. He retreated to
a field beneath the 59th Street bridge, where
someone complained to the police that he was
"indecently exposed" in his exercise garb.
Investigating officers immediately recognized
him and helped him retrieve his shot as he practiced.
MWB
He also collaborated with George M. Steinbrenner, the Yankees'
principal owner, to establish a foundation to provide educational
scholarships to the
children of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
GOD BLESS JAMES FUCHS AND GEORGE STEINBRENNER.
GO JAMES FUCHS AND GEORGE STEINBRENNER
Mark
islanders
>
> GOD BLESS JAMES FUCHS AND GEORGE STEINBRENNER.
>
> GO JAMES FUCHS AND GEORGE STEINBRENNER
>
> Mark
Always remember what George said. " If you do something for someone
and more than two people know about it, you did it for the wrong
reason,"
MWB
"islanders" <islan...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:36bd4468-ca79-42d6...@w19g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
I'll never forget this one from George....
I'm a MAJOR LEAGUE ASSHOLE and I have a wicked thick wallet and I'll buy the
World Series.
I don't care if I ruin the game as long as the YANKEES win.
G O T E X A S
Mark