1956 Melbourne Summer Games
3,342 Athletes, 67 Countries, 145 Events
As the first Olympic Games held on the southern hemisphere,
Melbourne played host to 3,314 athletes from 72 nations. The 1956
Games were the latest in Olympic history, as they took place
between November 22 and December 8. Absent were boycotters Egypt,
Iraq, Lebanon, Spain, and Switzerland. Present was the United
States basketball squad, led by University of San Francisco
teammates, future Boston Celtics, and future Hall-of-Famers
Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. The
team won all eight games by at least 30 points. After ending a
successful NBA career in 1967, Jones began coaching. He was an
assistant coach for the Harvard men during the 1970-71 season,
becoming the first African-American man to coach a Crimson team
fulltime.
The Yale heavyweight varsity eight had the honor of representing
the United States in Melbourne. In doing so, they became the first
American eight to lose a race finishing third in the opening round.
They persevered in later races, however, and still won the
gold.
Two more Leaguers present in Melbourne won rowing medals.
John Welchli (Brown '50) won silver as a part of
the American four. John B. Kelly, Jr. (Penn '50)
won bronze in the single sculls. Kelly became President of the
United States Olympic Committee in 1985 but tragically died of a
heart attack 22 days after taking the office.
Fellow Cornellian, fencer Eugene Hamori who did
post graduate work in Ithaca won gold as part of Hungary's powerful
sabre team. He defected from Hungary after the Games and came to
the United States. Hamori went to the 1964 Tokyo Games as an
American. After receiving his doctorate from Penn, he began
teaching at the Tulane University medical school in 1972 a position
from which he recently retired. His chief interest was the
thermodynamics of biochemical reactions. Hamori is a member of the
United States Fencing Hall of Fame.
| Name |
School |
Sport |
| John Welchli |
Brown University |
Men's Rowing |
| Norman Armitage |
Columbia University |
Men's Fencing |
| George Shaw |
Columbia University |
Men's Athletics |
| Albert Hall |
Cornell University |
Men's Athletics |
| Shelley Mann |
Cornell University |
Women's Swimming |
| Edward A. Masterson |
Cornell University |
Men's Rowing |
| Richard W. Pew |
Cornell University |
Men's Fencing |
| Peter Sparhawk |
Cornell University |
Men's Rowing |
| William J. Andre |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Modern Pentathlon |
| Vilhjalmur Einarsson |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Athletics |
| David F. Hawkins |
Harvard University |
Men's Swimming |
| George D. O'Day |
Harvard University |
Men's Sailing |
| Julian K. Roosevelt |
Harvard University |
Men's Sailing |
| James M. Smith |
Harvard University |
Men's Shooting |
| Karen L. Anderson |
University of Pennsylvania |
Women's Athletics |
| E. Newbold Black, IV |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Field Hockey |
| Frank D. Chapot |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Equestrian |
| R. Richard Dyer |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Fencing |
| Richard L. Hart |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Athletics |
| John B. Kelly, Jr. |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Dr. James A. McMullen |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Victor F. Sheronas |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Sailing |
| William G.M. Slater |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Swimming |
| James M. Wynne |
University of Pennsylvania |
Men's Rowing |
| Kinmott T. Hoitsma |
Princeton University |
Men's Fencing |
| Robert Stinson, Jr. |
Princeton University |
Men's Sailing |
| William Becklean |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Donald A.E. Beer |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Thomas Charlton |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| John Cooke |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Caldwell Esselstyn |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Charles Grimes |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Perry Jecko |
Yale University |
Men's Swimming |
| Robert Morey |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| William Steinkraus |
Yale University |
Men's Equestrian |
| Hugh Thompson |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Richard Wailes |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| David Wight |
Yale University |
Men's Rowing |
| Helga Mund |
Cornell University |
Women's Diving |