Born October 17, 1946, Pomona, Calif.

One of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Robert "Bob" Seagren won six National AAU and four NCAA titles, indoors and outdoors. He set world records six times, topping out at 18-5 3/4 at the 1972 Olympic Trials. In doors, he posted eight world bests between 1966 and 1969. He was also the Pan American Games champion in 1967. In Olympic competition, he won the 1968 gold medal but he's best remembered for the Olympic gold medal he didn't get. In 1972, a last-minute ruling barred the new Cata-Pole from Olympic competition, forcing many vaulters, including Seagren, to compete with unfamiliar poles. East German Wolfgang Nordwig, however, didn't use a Cata-Pole and wound up with the gold medal with Seagren second. A 1968 University of Southern California graduate, Seagren took a try at professional track and later became an actor.