Ralph Rose

Ralph Waldo Rose (March 17, 1885 – October 16, 1913) was an American track and field athlete. He was born in Healdsburg, California.

For the Australian rules footballer, see Ralph Rose (footballer).
Ralph Rose

Ralph Rose
Medal record
Men’s athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1904 St. Louis Shot put
1908 London Shot put
1912 StockholmTwo handed shot put
1904 St. Louis Discus throw
1912 StockholmShot put
1904 St. Louis Hammer throw

Biography

A giant of a man at 6 ft 5.5 in (197 cm) and 250 pounds (115 kg), Rose was the first shot putter to break 50 feet (15 m). His world record of 51 ft 0 in (15.5 m), set in 1909, lasted for 16 years. In 1904, while at the University of Michigan, he won both the shot put and discus at the Big Ten championships. He subsequently competed for the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California and won seven National AAU titles in the shot, discus and javelin. A competitor in three Olympic Games, Rose compiled a medal total of three golds, two silver and one bronze. At the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, he won the shot, was second in the discus, third in the hammer throw and sixth in the 56-pound (25 kg) weight throw.

Rose

Four years later, in London, United Kingdom, he repeated as the shot put champion. At the opening ceremony Rose, the U.S. flag bearer, refused (supported by a majority of his mostly Irish-descended US teammates) to dip the flag to the royal box, as other countries did, in support of Irish struggle against British imperialism. Martin Sheridan supposedly explained Rose's action with the terse statement, "This flag dips to no earthly king." According to legend, this caused acrimony between the United States and Great Britain. Several decisions by British judges went against American athletes during the games, and U.S. spokesmen felt they stemmed from bias, caused in part by the flag incident. However, there is no reliable evidence that the British spectators objected to Rose's action, nor that Sheridan ever uttered his famous quote, which did not appear in print until 1952.[1]

At the 1908 Summer Olympics Rose competed in the tug of war but was not successful.

Pat McDonald, Lawrence Whitney, and Ralph Rose in 1912.

In the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, he won the two-handed shot put (throwing a total of 27.70 m (90 ft 10.5 in) with his right and left hands), took second in the regular shot, ninth in the hammer and 11th in the discus.

At the age of 28 he died of typhoid fever, in San Francisco.[2]

References
  1. Wallechinsky, David (2004). The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics, Toronto: Sport Classic Books. ISBN 1-894963-34-2
  2. "Athlete Rose Dead; Victim of Typhoid" (PDF). The New York Times. October 17, 1913. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
Olympic Games
Preceded by
Matthew Halpin		 Flagbearer for  United States
London 1908		 Succeeded by
George Bonhag
Records
Preceded by
Incumbent		 Men's Shot Put World Record Holder
August 21, 1909 – May 6, 1928		 Succeeded by
Emil Hirschfeld
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