General | 7/24/2024 4:07:00 PM

July 25,2024-With the Opening Ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics set for Friday in Paris, let's take a look at the history of Emporia State student-athletes and coaches in the summer games.
 
A total of 12 former Hornet student-athletes have competed or coached in the Summer Games with one more former coach taking part in the games.
 
John Kuck won the only individual gold medal by an Emporia State athlete.  He won the shot put at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. He set the Olympic and World Record in the event with a mark of 52-00.75 (15.87m). He was a national champion in the shot for the Hornets in 1926.
 
Eight years later Archie San Romani placed fourth in the men's 1500m run with a time of 3:50.0 in Berlin. He was a two time national champion for Emporia State, winning the mile in 1935 and the 1500m in 1936.
 
Janell Smith Carson would be the first female with ties to Emporia State to compete at the Olympic Games.  She advanced to the semifinals of the women's 400m at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo before enrolling at Emporia State. She would win two national indoor championships despite the NAIA not officially sponsoring women's indoor track and field until 1981.
 
Former world record holder Al Feuerbach competed in two Olympic Games and qualified for a third. He placed fifth in the shot put at the 1972 Games in Munich and came back with a fourth place finish in the event in Montreal four years later.  He would qualify for the Games again in 1980 but was unable to attend because of the United States boycott of the Moscow Games. He won two outdoor and two indoor NAIA National Championships in the shot while finishing second twice outdoors.  He set a world record of 71-7.00 (21.82m) in 1973 at the San Jose Invitational.
 
Most recently Carey McLeod competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 finishing 21st in the men's long jump and 24th in the triple jump.  He will be the only former Hornet competing in Paris and is currently ranked fourth in the world with a leap of 8.38m (27-6.00) to win the Jamaican Olympic Trials.  McCleod competed as a freshman for Emporia State in 2019, setting the school record in the indoor long jump with a leap of 25-1.25 (7.65m) in his first competition for the Hornets.  He finished second in the MIAA in the 60m and would earn All-American honors with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships despite competing with a broken bone in his foot.  He transferred to Tennessee the next year and finished his career at Arkansas.
 
Patricia Roberts was the only other Emporia State student-athlete to compete in the summer games.  She was a member of the Silver Medal winning women's basketball team in 1976 in Montreal.  Roberts averaged 23.1 points and 13.7 rebounds per game while leading the Lady Hornets to a fourth-place finish at the National AIAW Small College Women's Basketball Tournament in 1975.  The next year she averaged 27.8 points and 12.7 rebounds to earn her spot on the Olympic team before transferring to Tennessee for her senior season.
 
Several coaches have been a part of the Olympics starting with Gene Johnson who was on the staff of the 1936 Gold Medal winning men's basketball team in Berlin.   Johnson was a three year letterwinner and all-conference performer for the Hornets from 1922-25. 
 
Twenty four years later Gus Fish would go to Rome to serve as an assistant for the men's basketball team that won the Gold Medal in 1960.  He was a standout on the Hornet football and basketball teams from 1925-29.  During his 25-year tenure as basketball coach from 1945-70, he compiled a 334-287 record at Emporia State. 
 
The tradition of Hornet track and field began with Fran Welch. His track and cross country teams claimed 18 league crowns, four NAIA cross country national championships, one NAIA track national title, and one NCAA small college cross country championship. He was the field events coach for the 1960 women's track and field team that spent a month in training at Welch Stadium leading up to the Summer Games in Rome.
 
Dan Holst served as the decathlon coach for the USA men at the 1968 Mexico City games.  Holst was a four-year letterman in football and track & field from 1949-53 for the Hornets.
 
Phil Delavan was the field events coach for the women's track & field team in Munich in 1972. He coached 35 All-Americans including seven national champions in his twelve year tenure at Emporia State from 1966-78.
 
A pair of Emporia State baseball coaches served as assistants on the first United States baseball team to win a Gold Medal in a tournament format.  Dave Bingham and Rich Alday were both assistants for the 1988 squad that defeated Japan 5-3 in Seoul, South Korea. 
 
Bingham had served as an assistant on the 1984 Silver Medal winning team in Los Angeles in 1984 while Alday would return to the bench in 1996 as the United States won Bronze in Atlanta.  Bingham was a part of seven NAIA World Series teams for the Hornets as a player and coach. He led the Hornets to the World Series as a player in his junior and senior years before taking Emporia State to five World Series appearances as a coach. His Hornets won the 1978 NAIA National Championship and finished as the national runners-up in 1987.
 
Alday was an All-Conference, All-District 10, All-Area III and honorable mention All-American catcher for Emporia State in 1969 and 1970. He was named to the All-tournament team as a catcher at the 1969 NAIA World Series for the Hornets.
 
Hornets in the Olympics
1928 John Kuck Gold Medal in the men's shot put
1936 Archie San Romani 4th place in the men's 1500m
1936 Gene Johnson Gold Medal assistant coach of men's basketball team
1960 Fran Welch field events coach of women's track & field
1960 Gus Fish Gold Medal assistant coach of men's basketball team
1964 Janell Smith Carson 12th place in women's 400m
1968 Dan Holst decathlon coach of men's track & field
1972 Al Feuerbach 5th place in the men's shot put
1972 Phil Delavan field events coach of women's track & field
1976 Al Feuerbach 4th place in the men's shot put
1976 Patricia Roberts Silver Medal women's basketball
1984 Dave Bingham Silver Medal assistant coach of baseball
1988 Dave Bingham Gold Medal assistant coach of baseball
1988 Rich Alday Gold Medal assistant coach of baseball
1996 Rich Alday Bronze Medal assistant coach of baseball
2021 Carey McCleod 21st place in the men's long jump; 24th place in the men's triple jump
2024 Carey McCleod Ranked 4th in men's long jump entering the games