Dean Smith (sprinter)
American athlete and stuntman (1932–2023)
 Smith in 2013 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Finis Dean Smith | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1932-01-15)January 15, 1932 Breckenridge, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | June 24, 2023(2023-06-24) (aged 91) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Finis Dean Smith (January 15, 1932 – June 24, 2023) was an American track and field athlete, winner of a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1952 Summer Olympics; he was also an actor and noted stuntman, appearing in many films and TV series.[1][2][3]
Early life, education, and sports career
Born in Breckenridge, Texas, Smith won the Amateur Athletic Union championships in 100 m in 1952. At the Helsinki Olympics, he was fourth in the 100 m and ran the leadoff leg for the American gold medal-winning 4 × 100 m relay team.[1] As a sprinter on the Longhorn track team, Smith ran a 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds, one-tenth of a second off the world record at the time.[3]
After graduating from University of Texas at Austin where he ran track and was a member of the Silver Spurs, Smith played professional football for the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of his career in Hollywood.[4]
Later sports career
Later on, Smith competed in amateur rodeo. His events were bareback bronc riding and calf roping. He won championships in both events.[5] The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associations made him an honorary member.[4] He also participated in the team roping event in Reba McEntire's Pro Celebrity Rodeo in May 1997.[6]
Post-sports/Hollywood career
Following his sports career, Smith performed as a professional rodeo cowboy and stuntman in various Western movies such as The Alamo, The Comancheros, How The West Was Won, McLintock!, Rio Conchos, Big Jake, El Dorado, and Rio Lobo.[7][4] He also appeared in such Western TV shows as Tales of Wells Fargo, Maverick, Gunsmoke, Lawman, Have Gun Will Travel, The Iron Horse and Walker, Texas Ranger.[4]
Some of what Variety called his "most impressive" stunts included falling out of a two-story building into a hay wagon in McLintock! (1963) starring Maureen O'Hara.[4] Smith was noticed by famed director John Ford when working on the 1958 Rosalind Russell project, Auntie Mame, and as a result went on to be featured in many of Ford's subsequent films.[4]
Honors
In 2006 he was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.[8] In 2009 he was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame.[9] He is also a member of the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Smith is a member of the Hollywood Stuntman's Hall of Fame.[10] In 1997 he was named "All American Cowboy", and in 1998 he received a Golden Boot Award.[11] In 2007 he received the Silver Spur award for his contributions as a stuntman in the film business.[12]
Personal life
Smith died on June 24, 2023, at age 91.[7][13][14]
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  United States | |||||
| 1952 | Olympics | Helsinki, Finland | 4th | 100 m | 10.84/10.4 |
References
- ^ a b "Dean Smith Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". April 18, 2020. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
- ^ Fuster, Jeremy (June 25, 2023). "Dean Smith, Olympic Champion Sprinter and Stuntman for John Wayne, Dies at 91". Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Jaklewicz, Greg (July 6, 2017). "Stuntman, 'West Texas boy' Smith at Paramount for movie". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Franklin, McKinley (June 25, 2023). "Dean Smith, Olympic Athlete and Western Stuntman, Dies at 91". Variety. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Kerns, William (July 27, 2012). "Dean Smith, Marisa Wayne guests at 2012 John Wayne Film Festival". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "Reba McEntire Pro Celebrity Rodeo". NewsOK.com. May 11, 1997. Retrieved April 30, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (June 25, 2023). "Dean Smith, Olympic Sprinter Turned Hollywood Stunt Performer, Dies at 91". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Software, Bengal. "Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame: Past Inductees". texasrodeocowboy.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ^ "National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame – Dallas/Ft. Worth". cowboysofcolor.org. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ "Hollywood Stuntman's Hall Of Fame- Members". stuntmen.org. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ "Golden Boot Awards". goldenbootawards.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ Sonnabend, N. Ellen (September 16, 2012), Dean Smith's Acceptance Speech Silver Spur Awards 2007, archived from the original on December 22, 2021, retrieved April 30, 2017
- ^ Franklin, Darrell (June 24, 2023). "Legendary hall-of-fame Texoman passes". texomashomepage.com. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Franklin, McKinley (June 25, 2023). "Dean Smith, Olympic Athlete and Western Stuntman, Dies at 91".
External links
- Dean Smith at IMDb
- Dean Smith at Olympics.com
- Dean Smith at Olympedia
- v
- t
- e
- 1912:
David Jacobs, Henry Macintosh, Victor d'Arcy, Willie Applegarth (GBR) - 1920:
Charley Paddock, Jackson Scholz, Loren Murchison, Morris Kirksey (USA) - 1924: Loren Murchison, Louis Clarke, Frank Hussey, Al LeConey (USA)
- 1928: Frank Wykoff, James Quinn, Charley Borah, Henry Russell (USA)
- 1932: Bob Kiesel, Emmett Toppino, Hector Dyer, Frank Wykoff (USA)
- 1936: Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Foy Draper, Frank Wykoff (USA)
- 1948: Barney Ewell, Lorenzo Wright, Harrison Dillard, Mel Patton (USA)
- 1952: Dean Smith, Harrison Dillard, Lindy Remigino, Andy Stanfield (USA)
- 1956: Ira Murchison, Leamon King, Thane Baker, Bobby Morrow (USA)
- 1960:
Bernd Cullmann, Armin Hary, Walter Mahlendorf, Martin Lauer (EUA) - 1964:
Paul Drayton, Gerry Ashworth, Richard Stebbins, Bob Hayes (USA) - 1968: Charles Greene, Mel Pender, Ronnie Ray Smith, Jim Hines (USA)
- 1972: Larry Black, Robert Taylor, Gerald Tinker, Eddie Hart (USA)
- 1976: Harvey Glance, Lam Jones, Millard Hampton, Steve Riddick (USA)
- 1980:
Vladimir Muravyov, Nikolay Sidorov, Aleksandr Aksinin, Andrey Prokofyev (URS) - 1984: Sam Graddy, Ron Brown, Calvin Smith, Carl Lewis (USA)
- 1988: Viktor Bryzhin, Vladimir Krylov, Vladimir Muravyov, Vitaliy Savin (URS)
- 1992: Michael Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell, Carl Lewis, James Jett (USA)
- 1996:
Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin, Donovan Bailey, Carlton Chambers (CAN) - 2000: Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams, Brian Lewis, Maurice Greene, Tim Montgomery, Kenny Brokenburr (USA)
- 2004: Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish, Mark Lewis-Francis (GBR)
- 2008:
Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Richard Thompson, Aaron Armstrong (TTO) - 2012:
Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt, Bailey-Cole (JAM) - 2016: Asafa Powell, Yohan Blake, Nickel Ashmeade, Usain Bolt, Jevaughn Minzie, Kemar Bailey-Cole (JAM)
- 2020:
Lorenzo Patta, Marcell Jacobs, Fausto Desalu, Filippo Tortu (ITA) - 2024: Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney, Andre De Grasse (CAN)
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