Dick Fosbury Dies: High Jumper Who Invented ‘Fosbury Flop’ Was 76

Legendary athlete Dick Fosbury, who enthralled TV viewers during the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, where he won the Gold in the high jump, has died. He was 76.

Fosbury’s passing was confirmed by his publicist Ray Schulte on Monday (March 13), who wrote on Instagram, “It is with a very heavy heart I have to release the news that longtime friend and client Dick Fosbury passed away peacefully in his sleep early Sunday morning after a short bout with a recurrence of lymphoma.”

 

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Recognized as one of the most influential athletes in track and field history, the Gold medalist turned heads at the 1968 Olympics when he showcased his signature “Fosbury Flop,” where he would run diagonally towards the bar in the high jump and throw himself over back first. His impressive technique broke Olympic and US records, earning a gold medal with a jump of 2.24 meters.

After returning to the U.S. following his Olympics victory, Fosbury made appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The Mike Douglas Show. And that same year, the “flop” helped Fosbury win the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships. The move soon became the adopted approach of high jump athletes around the world.

Fosbury never returned to the Olympics, but he continued to be involved in athletics after retirement, serving on the executive board of the World Olympians Association. In 1981, he was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.

The high jump was forever changed.

Rest in peace, Dick Fosbury ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WzXgOmrFvP

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) March 13, 2023

During his medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics, Fosbury showed solidarity with the earlier civil rights protest at the games by raising his fist after the national anthem. And, in 2014, he ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Idaho House of Representatives, though he lost out to incumbent Republican Representative Steve Miller.

He also founded the non-profit organization World Fit with fellow Olympians Gary Hall and Anne Cribbs. The company promotes youth fitness programs and Olympic ideals.

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“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Dick Fosbury, a true legend and pioneer in the world of track and field. Dick’s innovative technique of the ‘Fosbury Flop’ revolutionized the high jump event and forever changed the sport,” Max Siegel, CEO of USA Track & Field said in a statement (via CNN).

“His gold medal victory at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics not only cemented his place in U.S. Olympic history, but also left an indelible mark on the global athletic community. We will always be grateful for his contributions to the sport and his impact on generations of athletes who followed in his footsteps.”

Check out more tributes below.

He will live on in Olympic history.

Rest in peace, Dick Fosbury, the man who changed high jump forever. pic.twitter.com/bzCP0HwYHE

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) March 14, 2023

The world legend is probably used too often. Dick Fosbury was a true LEGEND! He changed an entire event forever with a technique that looked crazy at the time but the result made it the standard. https://t.co/4qx0WQ08pu

— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) March 13, 2023

R.I.P. 1968 Olympic gold medalist and high jump legend/pioneer Dick Fosbury, who passed away on Sunday. Condolences to his family and friends. Godspeed, Fos, from an eternally grateful sport. pic.twitter.com/BzV9XsGHff

— Ato Boldon (@AtoBoldon) March 13, 2023

RIP Dick Fosbury, a man who revolutionised his sport with a smart piece of physics.
Fosbury realised that by jumping backwards and bending his back he could pass over the bar while his centre of mass went under.
Genius.pic.twitter.com/SeqxC3gU9g

— Kit Yates (@Kit_Yates_Maths) March 14, 2023

There are some Athletes who innovate in their Sport to such a degree they totally change the nature of their Sport.

Dick Fosbury was just such a pioneer.#RIPDickFosbury #TheFosburyFlop pic.twitter.com/0TtUT4x05e

— Michael Warburton (@MichaelWarbur17) March 13, 2023

So sad to hear of the passing of Dick Fosbury at the age of 76, I took this picture of him at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, it was the first time I witnessed ‘The Flop’, now universally recognised as the norm for high jumping. #RIPDickFosbury pic.twitter.com/nMSV0Mndgx

— Mark Shearman MBE (@AthleticsImages) March 13, 2023

When he needed to go higher than what was possible, Dick Fosbury created a new way of jumping. And the “Fosbury Flop” was born, forever changing the high jump and cementing his legacy in track and field.

Today, we remember a true innovator who showed us all that Impossible Is… https://t.co/VFT3l4I6NA pic.twitter.com/hL3rJyNZtV

— adidas (@adidas) March 13, 2023

Sorry to report that OSU alum Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized the world with his backwards-over-the-bar high-jump style, died Sunday, March 12, after a recurrence of lymphoma. He was 76. “Foz” won an Olympic gold medal in 1968—five years after people laughed at his new style. pic.twitter.com/kheaurvSHN

— Bob Welch (@bob_welch23) March 13, 2023