Darrow Clarence HOOPER

Although Darrow Hooper was deprived of a single AAU title by contemporaries such as Parry O'Brien, he was one of the great shot putters of his time. He beat world record holder O'Brien and former record holder, Jim Fuchs, at the 1952 Final Trials, and only lost the Olympic title to O'Brien by a mere three-quarters of an inch. His winning throw of 57-1⅝ (17.41) at the 1952 Trials was the best mark of his career and would have sufficed to win the Olympic gold medal had he been able to repeat the performance at Helsinki. Hooper continued to compete the season following the 1952 Olympics, and lost only three times in a busy season.

Personal Bests: SP – 57-1⅝ (17.41) (1952); DT – 170-0 (51.81) (1952).