Earle Meadows

Pole vault champion Earle Elmer Meadows was born on June 29, 1913 in Corinth, Mississippi. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Meadows tied with longtime rival Bill Sefton for the Amateur Athletic Union title for pole vaulting in 1935 as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association title for same in both 1935 and 1936. Earle went on to win a gold medal in men's pole vault at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Germany. Moreover, Meadows and Sefton set a new world record of 4.48 meters in May, 1937 (this was followed by another world record of 4.54 meters three weeks later). In addition, Earle won three more Amateur Athletic Union titles on the indoor circuit and set two world indoor records in 1941. After failing to make the cut for the Olympic team in 1948, Meadows eventually retired from competitive sports and became the owner of a musical instrument business in Texas. He died at age 79 on November 11, 1992 in Forth Worth, Texas.