Pete Rasmus

Rasmus attended Ohio State University from 1926 to 1929, winning several individual and team titles with the Ohio State Buckeyes. As a freshman he was only a 125 ft (38 m) thrower,{{cite web |url=https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/34287/OS_ENG_v11_i02_014.pdf?sequence=3 |title=Notes of the Campus |date=November 1927 |publisher=The Ohio State Engineer |hdl=1811/34287 |accessdate=October 31, 2014}} but he improved rapidly, winning the 1927 Big Ten championship and placing sixth at the NCAA championships.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/ncaa_history_pdfs/ncaamdt.pdf |title=A History of the NCAA Championships |author=Hill, E. Garry |magazine=Track & Field News |accessdate=October 31, 2014 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Rasmus repeated as Big Ten champion in 1928 and 1929.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1898&dat=19290424&id=LiMvAAAAIBAJ&pg=4157,2402081 |newspaper=The Norwalk Hour |date=April 24, 1929 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |title=Ohio Athlete After Additional Honors}}{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bigtenbookofathl00grif |format=PDF |title="Big Ten" Book of Athletic Events |year=1929 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |author=Griffith, John L.}} In March 1929 he threw 157 ft (47.85 m) in Dallas, less than half a meter down on Bud Houser's official world record of 158 ft {{frac|1|3|4}} in (48.20 m).{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19290331&id=JMEhAAAAIBAJ&pg=2174,6610747 |date=March 31, 1929 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |title=Bracey Breaks World's Mark For Century |newspaper=Reading Eagle}}

At the 1929 NCAA meet Rasmus was up against two throwers who had unofficially broken Houser's record earlier that year, Eric Krenz of Stanford and Ed Moeller of Oregon.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19290531&id=HEYUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6413,5261676 |date=May 31, 1929 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |title=Moeller, Oregon Discus Man, To Leave For National Meet |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19290310&id=rfUjAAAAIBAJ&pg=978,2922278 |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal |title=Breaks Record |date=March 10, 1929 |accessdate=October 31, 2014}} The field also included 1928 Olympian (and 1932 Olympic champion) John Anderson of Cornell, and future world record holder Paul Jessup of Washington.

Rasmus led the preliminary rounds with a throw of 159 ft {{frac|1|7|8}} in (48.51 m), breaking the meeting record and exceeding Houser's still official world record.{{cite news |title=More NCAA Champs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114995829/pete-rasmus-1906-1975/ |work=The Daily Herald |date=June 4, 1975 |location=Provo, UT |page=98 |access-date=December 22, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19290608&id=nVgaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5998,1261108 |date=June 8, 1929 |author=Dunkley, Charles W. |title=Rasmus, Ace of Ohio, New Weight King |newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel |accessdate=October 31, 2014}} Moeller had an even longer throw, but fouled. Rasmus' mark held up in the final rounds, and he won the championship; as he had broken Houser's mark, his throw was publicized as a new world record,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=110&dat=19290606&id=t8owAAAAIBAJ&pg=6284,6511489 |title=Ohio Sprint Star Sets New Record |author=Dunkley, Charles W. |newspaper=Ludington Daily News |date=June 9, 1929 |accessdate=October 31, 2014}} but it was inferior to the unratified records of Krenz and Moeller and, as Krenz's record was eventually ratified, never received an official status.{{cite web |url=http://www.e-yearbook.com/yearbooks/ohio/1930/Page_129.html |title=Ohio State University Yearbook |year=1930 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |page=129}}{{Cite book |author1=Butler, Mark |author2=IAAF Media & Public Relations Department |publisher=International Association of Athletics Federations |title=IAAF Statistics Handbook Daegu 2011 |year=2011}}

Led by Rasmus and sprinter George Simpson, Ohio State also won the 1929 NCAA team title, their first in any sport.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2293&dat=19290609&id=iT9KAAAAIBAJ&pg=3785,467198 |date=June 9, 1929 |title=Ohio State Wins Western Track Meet |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |newspaper=The Sunday Morning Star}} Rasmus graduated from Ohio State that year, but continued competing occasionally;{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/ohio/massillon/evening-independent/1930/06-09/page-11 |title=Star Tracksters Will Compete In Cincinnati Meet |date=June 9, 1930 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |newspaper=Evening Independent}} he unsuccessfully attempted to qualify for the 1932 Summer Olympics.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/utah/salt-lake-city/salt-lake-tribune/1932/05-17/page-15 |date=May 17, 1932 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |title=Cleveland Athlete Seeks Discus Throw Honors at Los Angeles |newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune}}

Rasmus was inducted in the Ohio State Varsity "O" Hall of Fame in 1989.{{cite web |url=http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/trads/men-varsityo-hof.html |publisher=Ohio State Buckeyes |title=Men's Varsity "O" Hall of Fame |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116171021/http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/trads/men-varsityo-hof.html |archive-date=November 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19890717&id=uENPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5456,4126959 |title=Three voted into Buckeye hall |date=July 17, 1989 |accessdate=October 31, 2014 |newspaper=Toledo Blade}}

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Category:1906 births

Category:1975 deaths

Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's track and field athletes

Category:Sportspeople from Ashtabula, Ohio

Category:American people of Finnish descent

Category:American male discus throwers

Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)

Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners

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