Bob Hersh

From high school manager to the upper echelon of international sport, Bob Hersh (Roslyn Heights, New York) has served the sport of athletics as an official, public address announcer, writer and administrator during his more than 60 years of involvement.

Starting out as the manager of his high school team (Midwood, Brooklyn NY), Hersh performed the same duties at Columbia University and then moved into officiating after law school at Harvard. He played a critical role in The Athletics Congress/USA Track & Field as Records Committee chair (81-88), Rules Committee chair (89-01) and General Counsel (89-97) and was a Board member from 1981-2015.

Hersh was a member of the IAAF Technical Committee from 1984-1999 and was an IAAF Council member from 1999-2015, rising to Senior Vice President in 2011, the highest IAAF position ever held by an American. He also served on numerous IAAF Commissions and Working Groups and was a Technical Delegate at the Olympics and IAAF World Championship events. He was awarded the IAAF Silver Order of Merit in 2015.

As PA announcer for six Olympic Games and nine World Championships, Hersh was the English language voice of international track and field athletics for a generation. He also announced at a multitude of major U.S meets. He was named USATF's Giegengack Award winner in 1997 and twice received President's Awards.