Special Sub-Topic: Al Hall: U.S. Hammer Thrower Click Here To Play: Al Hall: U.S. Hammer Thrower

While attending which college was Hall was a three-time Heptagonal champion and NCAA runner up in the hammer?

Cornell. Hall held the school and Ivy League records for the hammer throw long after his graduation in 1956. He has been inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 1956, Hall won the Olympic Trials and was one of the favorites. He ended up finishing 4th. Who won the gold medal at Melbourne?

Harold Connolly. Connolly held the world record six different times from 1956 to 1965. Krivonosov finished second, Samotsvetov grabbed the bronze, and Csermak finished fifth.

An interesting situation developed at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago. After all six throws were completed, Al Hall and Harold Connolly were tied. Both received a gold medal.

f. Hall was declared the winner on the basis of him having the second best throw. Both were credited with the Pan American record.

Al Hall and Harold Connolly were both on the 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968 Olympic teams, a very rare feat. Which other famous thrower was also on the same four teams and is known for his four gold medals?

Al Oerter & Oerter & Al Orter & Orter. Oerter not only won four gold medals but each time he broke the Olympic record. During the 1950s, he and Hall would train in the fields at Hall's family farm in Hanson, Massachusetts. Oerter died in October 2007.

Hall was the first U.S. track and field athlete ever to win a Pan American gold medal in three different decades. In what three cities did he win?

Chicago, Cali, Sao Paulo. Hall won at Chicago (1959), Sao Paulo, Brazil (1963), and Cali, Colombia (1971). He was considered the favorite to win at Winnipeg (1967) also. However, after driving from his home in Massachusetts to Chicago for the qualifying meet, he was told they hadn't received his entry form and wasn't allowed to compete. This was despite the protests of the other throwers to let him.

In addition to his two national championships in the hammer throw, Hall also had how many championships in the indoor version of the hammer, the 35-pound weight throw?

4. Hall was also named All-American 16 times in the hammer and weight throws during his career. He briefly held the world record in the weight throw. Later in his career, Hall also won three Masters titles before retiring.

After his fourth Olympics, Hall tried to become the first man to make five Olympics in track and field. At the 1972 Olympic Trials, was in 3rd until the last throw when George Frenn threw 224' 7". Hall finished 4th despite having the best throw of his career. What was the distance of that throw?

222' 8". Hall wasn't done yet. He tried again in 1976 but fell short. Hall had won the Olympic Trials in 1956 and 1960, setting a trials record each time. In 1960, he broke the record five times on six throws.

In 1974, Hall was a member of the first United States track and field team to compete in China. Did he win the hammer throw?

n. In fact, the hammer throw was the only event that an American didn't win. A Chinese blacksmith beat Al narrowly. There wasn't any reaction from the crowd. Hall picked up the huge man, put him on his shoulders and began running around the track waving his hands trying to get the crowd to cheer. Despite the heavy military presence, by time the two got down the back stretch, the crowd was yelling and stomping their feet. A picture of this was in "Sports Illustrated". Al always felt that this was the crowning point of his career, helping to break down barriers between countries.

While in college, what other sport besides track and field did Hall participate in?

Football. Hall played four years at defensive lineman. Cornell had a annual game against football giant Penn State. Al always remembered how big Rosie Grier was and especially how hard he hit. He had his nose broken two years in a row by Grier.

What prominent track and field athletic club was Hall a member of during the 1950s and early 1960s?

New York Athletic Club. Hall quit the club in protest, as did a number of other athletes, when a black athlete he was good friends with was denied membership. Not long after that, the club changed its policy. Throughout his career, Hall was voted team captain because he was known as an unbiased straight shooter. During the turbulent 1960s, the black athletes strongly trusted him and would vote for him, knowing that they would get treated fairly.