Randy Matson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Randy Matson

Matson in 1968
Personal information
Born	(1945-03-05) March 5, 1945 (age 80) Kilgore, Texas, U.S.
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)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1968 Mexico City Shot put Silver 1964 Tokyo Shot put Pan American Games Gold 1967 Winnipeg Shot put

James Randel "Randy" Matson (born March 5, 1945) is a famous American track and field athlete. He was best known for competing in the shot put, where he threw a heavy ball as far as he could. Randy Matson won a silver medal at the 1964 Olympic Games and a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics.

Randy Matson's Early Life

Randy Matson grew up in Pampa, Texas. When he was just twelve years old, he joined his first track meet. He was amazing, winning the 50-yard dash, 100-yard dash, long jump, and high jump. He even placed sixth in the shot put!

High School Sports Star

At Pampa High School, Randy was a star in three different sports. He played American football, basketball, and track and field.

• In football, he earned "All-District" honors.
• For basketball, he was a two-time "All-District" player and once made the "All-State" team. He scored about 15 points per game.
• In track and field, he was a two-time State Champion in both the shot put and the discus throw. He could even run the 100-yard dash in a super fast 10.2 seconds!

Because of his amazing skills, he was named an "All-State" and "All-American" athlete in track and field. In 1963, Track and Field News magazine named him their "High School Athlete of the Year." He was also named their "Men's Athlete of the Year" in 1970.

Randy Matson's Amazing Career

Randy Matson is known as one of the greatest shot putters ever. He made a huge improvement to the world record in 1965. 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 and 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, making it 21.52 meters (70 feet, 7¼ inches). During this time, he had a big competition with another athlete named Neal Steinhauer, but Randy usually came out on top.

Randy Matson earned his business degree from Texas A&M in 1967. Professional sports teams, like the Atlanta Falcons (football) and the Seattle SuperSonics (basketball), wanted him to play for them. But Randy decided to focus only on track and field.

Olympic Gold and Awards

In 1967, Randy Matson broke his own world record again, throwing 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.

He won the Olympic gold medal at the Mexico City Games in 1968. In 1970, Track and Field News named him their "Athlete of the Year." He even appeared on the covers of their magazine in June 1970 and January 1971.

In 1967, he also threw the discus almost as far as 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. But Randy only competed in the shot put in Mexico City. On one incredible day, Randy threw the shot put over 70 feet three times and the discus over 200 feet three times!

Retirement and Hall of Fame

Randy Matson almost made the 1972 Olympic team, finishing fourth at the trials. He retired after that competition. At the time, he was the only person who had ever thrown the shot put over 70 feet.

He has been honored many times for his amazing career:

• He was inducted into the Texas A&M Hall of Fame in 1972.
• He joined the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1974.
• He entered the National Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.
• He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1984.
• He joined the National High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
• He was inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 2012.

Randy Matson's Career Highlights

Here are some of Randy Matson's most impressive achievements:

• Personal Record: 21.78 meters (71 feet, 5½ inches)
• Olympic Gold Medal: 1968 (with a throw of 20.54 meters or 67 feet, 4¾ inches)
• Olympic Silver Medal: 1964 (with a throw of 20.20 meters or 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 Shot Put World Record four times:
  • 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. He joined "The Association of Former Students" in 1972. He served as their executive director from 1979 until he retired in 1999. He was later chosen to be the main speaker for the 2000 "Aggie Muster" event at the A&M campus.

In 2003, the Texas A&M Foundation created a special job for him called "Senior Philanthropic Officer." He helped the foundation with a big fundraising campaign called "One Spirit One Vision." After the campaign finished in 2007, raising much more money than expected, 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. Randy and his family live in College Station, Texas.

See also

In Spanish: Randy Matson para niños