The following piece memorializing Dallas Long came to us through the USC blog/news Trojan Force.
A lot of good ones and great ones have passed on in 2025. I failed to mention all of them, but the work here has been done for me by Larry Knuth.
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Hello everyone,
Hope the holidays have been good for you. As the indoor season is sneaking up on us I thought I'd send out one last email for the year. The first indoor meet is Jan. 16 and we'll get ourselves cranked up and ready to go.
Before that I wanted to send out a nice remembrance that Larry Knuth crafted for Dallas Long. Over these past several months we have lost some very important Trojans that we'd like to remember even if it's for a second or third time.
Lastly I'd like to remind (or introduce) you to an annual track and field luncheon that has been happening for decades. It started as a small gathering of former athletes but has since become an annual lunch that I hope you will consider attending. Details are being finalized and will be posted at this LINK. Sunday, Jan. 25 at Mt. SAC. 1pm.
DALLAS LONG…AMERICAN T&F ICON
His life was a long journey of success…from being the best prep shot putter of all time, then the best collegiate shot putter in history, culminating in an Olympic gold medal, and then becoming a dentist and finally retiring as head of emergency medicine at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.
The footnotes to his athletic achievements are about his remarkable achievements at such a young age in the event.
Long’s shot put career began at North Phoenix HS where he was coached by the late legendary Vern Wolfe. In his senior season of 1958 he destroyed the national prep mark of 64 ¾” with a 66 ½” throw and only a month later hit 67-2” and then on May 16 at ------ hit a eye opening 69-3. All this at age 17! His record held for nine years.
Only five other high school athletes had exceeded 60 ft. in 1958.
All used the O’Brien style across the ring.
Coach Wolfe had his North Phoenix athletes lifting homemade weights of PVC bars and #10 vegetable cans filled with concrete. Long’s success covered by the media sent notice to the nation’s coaches of the benefits of lifting weights to gain strength.
Wolfe had attended the first Mt. SAC Clinic held by Hilmer Lodge. World class shot putter Otis Chandler spoke and demonstrated his weight program. Wolfe began using weight training with Long and Jim Brewer, first prep vaulter over 14 and 15 ft.
Later that season at the Compton Relays Long set a Jr. World Record with the sixteen pound shot 61-1/2” a record that would stand another ten years. Only three men in the world had exceeded 60 feet ! That mark exceeded the intercollegiate record and placed him second in the United States behind Parry O’Brien.
Long entered USC with a goal of attending the top ranked dental school. As an 18- year-old freshman he tied O’Brien’s world record of 63-2 and then in May of ’59 he took sole possession of the record by ¼” further put.
At the time the NCAA prohibited college freshman from competing in the championships…the NCAA event that year was won at
57-11 ¾”.
The following season of 1960 Olympic year was about dueling battles with Parry O’Brien Long hit 63-7.
So the battle for the USA team to Rome was on. Bill Neider, O’Brien, NCAA Champion Dave Davis and the 19-year-old Long went at it.
Long won the Trials at 63-3 ¾”
In pre-Olympic training in Switzerland Long became sick and lost six pounds…he never regained his strength and ended up with the silver medal.
Long concluded his final three years at USC by capturing all three NCAA titles 1960-61-62 with throws of 61-9, 63-3 ½” and 64-7. No thrower had accomplished taking all three titles since the early 1940s.
…and he won the event three of the first four years Mt. SAC Relays were held.
He never lost to a collegiate thrower while at USC and in May of 1962 hit a world record of 65-10 ½”
He did not resume his valuable weight training program until the following July, 1963 and embarked upon a rigorous plan at Bill Pearl’s gym on Manchester Avenue in Inglewood. Former Trojan Olympic thrower Rink Babka and Pat Casey, world bench press record holder helped Pearl guide Long’s special program.
Then weighing 255 lbs. at 6-4 Long impressed his mentors with a 500 lb. bench* beginning off the chest and seated dumbbell presses with 190 lbs. Long had benched 350 at North Phoenix High School and then 440 lbs. in training prior to the ’60 Games.
*The ratified American record in 1965 was 482 lbs.
Long became a dentist in California’s Orange County, then entered medical school and retired as head of emergency medicine at Hoag Hospital in Newport.
Larry KNUTH, USC asst. 1984-90; ‘65 T&F mgr., grad asst.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR 
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