Maurice "Mac" Wilkins (born November 15, 1950) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw

Discus throw

The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...

. He was born in Eugene, Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...

.

Wilkins competed for the United States in the 1976 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics

At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, 37 events were contested in athletics. There were a total number of 1006 participating athletes from 80 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:**...

 in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 in the discus throw, where he won the gold medal

Gold medal

A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 with a distance of 221' 5" to defeat Wolfgang Schmidt

Wolfgang Schmidt

Wolfgang Schmidt is a former German track and field athlete, who competed for East Germany at the 1976 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal in the discus throw. A former world record holder, he also won several medals at the European Championships in Athletics. Schmidt made headlines in 1982...

 of East Germany by four feet.

Wilkins also won a silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 with the discus at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, 41 events in athletics were contested, 24 events by men and 17 by women. There were a total number of 1273 participating athletes from 124 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:...

 held in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, after missing the 1980 games

1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...

 due to the American boycott

American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics

The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott of the Moscow Olympics was a part of a package of actions initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet war in Afghanistan...

.

Wilkins is the last thrower that Bill Bowerman

Bill Bowerman

William Jay "Bill" Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers...

 coached in Eugene, Oregon. Wilkins was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame

The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...

 in 1994. He currently coaches at Concordia University

Concordia University (Portland, Oregon)

Concordia University is a private, Christian university located in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1905 as a University-preparatory school, the institution added college classes in 1950 and the high school was split-off in 1977...

 in Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

.

With the death of Al Oerter

Al Oerter

Alfred Adolf Oerter, Jr. was an American athlete, and a four-time Olympic Champion in the discus throw....

 on 1 October 2007, Wilkins is the earliest surviving Olympic Champion in the Men's Discus. He is not the oldest as Viktor Rashchupkin

Viktor Rashchupkin

Viktor Ivanovich Rashchupkin was a Soviet/Russian athlete who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Kamensk-Uralsky.He competed for Soviet Union at the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Soviet Union where he won the gold medal in the men's discus throw event.With the death of Al...

, the 1980 Champion, is almost exactly 1 month older.

During his discus throw series from May 1, 1976, he set the world record three times with throws of 69.80m, 70.24m, and 70.86m.

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