Randy Matson facts for kids
Matson in 1968
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | March 5, 1945 Kilgore, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 7 in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 265 lb | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Shot put, discus throw | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Atletica Pistoia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | SP – 71–5½ (21.78 m, 1967) DT – 213–9 (65.15 m, 1967) |
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Medal record
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James Randel "Randy" Matson (born March 5, 1945) is a famous American track and field athlete. He was best known for his amazing skills in the shot put. Randy Matson won a silver medal at the 1964 Olympics and a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics.
Contents
Randy Matson's Early Life and Sports
Randy Matson grew up in Pampa, Texas. His parents were Charles and Ellen Matson. When he was just twelve years old, Randy joined his first track meet. He won many races like the 50-yard and 100-yard dashes. He also won the long jump and high jump. He even placed sixth in the shot put.
High School Sports Star
Randy went to Pampa High School. He was a top athlete in three different sports. He played American football, basketball, and track and field. In football, he earned All-District honors. For basketball, he was an All-District player twice and an All-State player once. He scored about 15 points per game.
In track and field, Randy was a State Champion two times. He won in both the shot put and the discus throw. He could even run the 100-yard dash in a quick 10.2 seconds! Because of his talents, he was named an All-State and All-American athlete in track and field. In 1963, Track and Field News called him their "High School Athlete of the Year." He also won the "Men's Athlete of the Year" award from the same magazine in 1970.
Randy Matson's Amazing Amateur Career
Randy Matson is known as one of the best shot putters ever. In 1965, he made the world record much better, by a whole meter! He went to Texas A&M University and kept working on his shot put skills. In his first year using the heavier college shot (which weighs 16 pounds), he won an Olympic silver medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Breaking World Records
From 1965 to 1971, Randy Matson competed in 79 events. He won 73 of them! In just two months in 1965, he broke the world record three times. He added over two feet to the old record. The record then stood at 21.52 meters (70 feet, 7¼ inches). During this time, he had a friendly competition with another athlete named Neal Steinhauer. Randy usually came out on top.
Randy improved his world record again in 1967. He threw the shot put 21.78 meters (71 feet, 5½ inches). For this amazing achievement, he received the James E. Sullivan Award. This award goes to the best amateur athlete in the country.
Olympic Gold and Other Achievements
Randy Matson won the Olympic gold medal at the Mexico City Games in 1968. He was also named the 1970 Track and Field News Athlete of the Year. He even appeared on the covers of Track and Field News magazine in June 1970 and January 1971.
In 1967, Randy also threw the discus very far. It was only 8 centimeters (3 inches) short of the world record at that time. People thought he might win Olympic gold in both shot put and discus, like Bud Houser did in 1924. However, Randy only competed in the shot put in Mexico City. On that same day, Randy threw the shot put over 70 feet three times and the discus over 200 feet three times.
Randy Matson almost made the 1972 Olympic team, finishing fourth at the trials. He retired after that competition. At that time, he was the only person who had ever thrown the shot put over 70 feet.
Hall of Fame Inductions
Randy Matson has been honored in many sports halls of fame:
- Texas A&M Hall of Fame (1972)
- Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1974)
- National Sports Hall of Fame (1981)
- National Track and Field Hall of Fame (1984)
- National High School Sports Hall of Fame (1988)
- Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame (2012)
Randy Matson's Career Highlights
Here are some of Randy Matson's best achievements:
- His personal best throw: 21.78 meters (71 feet, 5½ inches)
- Olympic gold medal in 1968: 20.54 meters (67 feet, 4¾ inches)
- Olympic silver medal in 1964: 20.20 meters (66 feet, 3¼ inches)
- US National Champion: 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, and 1972
- NCAA Shot Put Champion: 1966 and 1967
- NCAA Discus Champion: 1966 and 1967
- Broke the Shot Put World Record four times, with these best throws for those years:
- 1965: 21.52 meters (70 feet, 7¼ inches)
- 1967: 21.78 meters (71 feet, 5½ inches)
Life After Sports
After retiring from sports, Randy Matson dedicated his time to Texas A&M University. In 1972, he joined The Association of Former Students. He became their executive director in 1979 and stayed in that role until he retired in 1999. He was later chosen to be the main speaker for the 2000 Aggie Muster event at the Texas A&M campus.
In 2003, the Texas A&M Foundation created a special job for him. He became their Senior Philanthropic Officer. After the foundation finished a very successful fundraising campaign in 2007, Randy announced he was leaving. He had some heart trouble in 2004 and wanted to spend more time with his six young grandchildren.
Randy Matson is married to Margaret Burns. She graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1966. They have three children: Jessica, Jim, and Cole. All of their children also graduated from Texas A&M. Jessica is married to Russell Camp from Amarillo, Texas. Randy and his family live in College Station, Texas.
See also
In Spanish: Randy Matson para niños
