Image by Xandra_Iryna on Pixabay · Pixabay License
Bob Mathias
Sign in to saveAlso known as Robert Bruce Mathias
American athlete and congressman (1930–2006)
OverviewAI-generated
Bob Mathias (1930–2006) was an American politician, television actor, military officer, and athletics competitor. Born in Tulare, California, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and was a member of the Republican Party. He attended Stanford University and served in the United States Marine Corps. Mathias died of natural causes in Fresno.
In athletics, Mathias competed in the decathlon at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. He held a record in the decathlon world record progression and received the Associated Press Athlete of the Year award. His written works include *Joy of the Baby*, *American Odyssey*, and *Crescent Color Guide to Sailing and Broadsailing*.
Synthesized by Vinony from 33 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Crossref, TMDb, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Film & TV
Tulare, California, USA
Known for
- Spirit of the Games — Himself1996
- The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team — Self - Performer1984
- It Happened in Athens — Coach Graham1962
- Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete — Prince Teseo1960
- The Troubleshooters — Frank Dugan1959
- China Doll — Capt. Phil Gates1958
- Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse — Self1958
- The Bob Mathias Story — Himself1954
- The Ed Sullivan Show — Self1948
via TMDB
Key facts
- Preceded by
- Harlan Hagen
- Succeeded by
- William M. Ketchum
- Born
- Robert Bruce Mathias , ( 1930-11-17 ) November 17, 1930, Tulare, California , U.S.
- Died
- September 2, 2006 (2006-09-02) (aged 75) , Fresno, California , U.S.
- Party
- Republican
- Spouse s
- Melba Mathias (1954–1976), Gwen Haven Alexander (1977–2006)
- Education
- Stanford University ( BA )
- Height
- 6 ft 3 in (190 cm)
- Weight
- 203 lb (92 kg)
- Sport
- Athletics
- Event
- Decathlon
- Club
- Olympic Club, San Francisco;, Stanford Cardinal
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Bob
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Tulare
- Place of death
- Fresno
- Occupation
- television actor
- Position held
- member of the United States House of Representatives
- Political party
- Republican Party (United States)
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Participant in
- 1948 Summer Olympics
- Sport
- athletics
- Country for sport
- United States
- Military branch
- United States Marine Corps
- Image
- Bob Mathias 1952.jpg
- Height
- 1.90
Show 9 more facts
- date of birth
- 1930-11-17
- date of death
- 2006-09-02
- Commons category
- Bob Mathias
- manner of death
- natural causes
- sports discipline competed in
- decathlon
- name in native language
- Bob Mathias
- record held
- decathlon world record progression
- cause of death
- cancer
- competition won
- Olympic Games
Sources (6)
via Wikidata · CC0
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Robert Bruce Mathias (November 17, 1930 – September 2, 2006) was an American decathlete, politician, and actor. Representing the United States, he won two Olympic gold medals in the Decathlon, at the 1948 and the 1952 Summer Games. As a Republican, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for California's 18th congressional district, for four terms from 1967 to 1975.
Early life and athletic career
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Bob Mathias” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.