Bud Held was born on October 25, 1927 in Los Angeles California. His contribution to the sport of track and field spanned seven decades, but it was his excellence as a javelin thrower that brought him world recognition. He started as a pole-vaulter in high school but at Stanford University he developed into a world-class javelin thrower winning NCAA titles in 1948, 1949 and 1950.
Under Coach Dink Templeton, Bud competed for the Olympic Club from 1950 to 1956. His accomplishments while a member were outstanding. He was a member of the 1950 National Championship team. In 1951, he threw 249′ 8″, the first of six American records he was to set. He became the first American ever to hold the world javelin record when he threw 263′ 10″ in Pasadena in 1953. He set another world record of 268′ 2″ at the California Relays in 1955, placed first in the Pan American Games, and overall was ranked first in the world three times.
Held was the AAU National Champion an incredible six times in 1949, 1951, 1953-55 and 1958 and ranked first in the U.S. seven times. Mr. Held was a member of the 1952 Olympic team, placing ninth after injuring a shoulder. In 1956, Mr. Held was favored to win the Olympic Gold Medal at the Melbourne Games but was slowed by an ankle injury and surgery shortly before the Olympic qualifier. At the event, which was contested months in advance of the Games, Bud missed making his second Olympic team by one inch. Despite setting a world record and career best mark of 270′ 0″ in the period leading up to the Games after his shoulder had healed, Mr. Held was not added to the team.
Mr. Held’s dedication to track and field was a lifelong endeavor. He was still throwing in 1970 at the age of 42 and set a national Masters’ record of 229′ 3″. He then returned to the pole vault at the age of 60 winning the WAVA (currently known as WMA) World Championship in Melbourne, Australia with a borrowed pole. In August 2008, at the age of 80, Mr. Held was named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after setting new World and American age group records in the pole vault (8′ 8.25″) and hammer throw (112″) at the 2008 USA Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Spokane, Washington.
Mr. Held was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame.
