Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2024 43 inches (58.27 meters). At the 1924 Penn Relays, Oberst's throw of 196-2 ⅝ (59.80 meters) beat the meet record by more than 8 feet. But he had a disappointing performance at the 1924 U.S. Olym- pic Trials, finishing in fifth place with a throw of 180-3 (54.94 meters), and was in danger of not making the Olympics. Finally, he was added to the squad based on his previous victories. The 10-day, cross-Atlantic voyage to Europe presented the affable Oberst a chance to get to know many of his American teammates. He befriended the three Black athletes on the track squad and sat with them at the dining hall in Paris, when many Southern team members would avoid their table. At the Paris Olympics, Oberst's throw of 58.35 meters won him the bronze medal, and he became the first Ameri- can to win an Olympic medal in the jav- elin throw. His was the first U.S. medal in the Paris Games, and he was burst- ing with team pride when the Stars and Stripes was raised. The starting right tackle for the 1922 Irish was Tom Lieb, who broke his leg in the Purdue game and was eventu- ally replaced by Oberst. Lieb grew up in Faribault, Minn., pitching rocks in the quarry operated by his family. He won the NCAA shot put title in 1922 and 1923, and the AAU title in 1923 and 1924. Lieb is widely credited with introduc- ing the modern spin delivery that is still used today. At the Paris Games, he competed in the discus and took the bronze medal with a throw of 147-0 (44.80). A couple of months later, he hit his personal best with a throw of 156-2 (47.61). Bo t h O b e rs t a n d L i e b fo l l owe d Rockne into coaching and athletic ad- ministration. Oberst coached football at Washington & Lee and Canisius, before a long stint at John Carroll University coaching football and basketball, and serving as athletics director. Lieb had two stints as Rockne's as- sistant, including 1929, when he filled in as acting head coach for the ailing Rockne during several games. He also coached at Wisconsin, Loyola Mary- mount, Florida and Alabama. ✦ For more informa on, please visit: www.RockneSociety.org Throughout 2024, the Knute Rockne Memorial Society will remember and celebrate the centennial of the 1924 Notre Dame na onal champions, featuring Coach Rockne, The Four Horsemen and The Seven Mules. Watch for updates! Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com At Paris in 1924, Gene Oberst became the first American to win an Olympic medal in the javelin throw, claiming a bronze medal. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME