Born June 16, 1917, Eureka, Calif. Died January 23, 2003.

Lester "Les" Steers could have been the world's first seven-foot high jump had not World War II come along. Steers, a University of Oregon athlete, set two world records in 1941, first going 6-10 3/4, then on June 17 making 6-11, a mark that was to stand for a dozen years.

A straddle jumper, Steers was the 1941 national collegiate champion and won or tied for three National AAU titles while representing the San Francisco Olympic Club, all outdoors. He later became a salesman in Portland, Oregon.