Olympic Champion
Dave Wottle
Will Present
Sixth JPH Lecture
May 20, 2002

Dave Wottle, whose dramatic finish in the 1972 Munich Olympics earned him a Gold Medal in the 800-meter-run, will be the featured speaker Monday, May 20 in the John Paul Hammerschmidt Lecture Series at North Arkansas College.  His lecture, which is open to the public free of charge, will start at 7 p.m. in the Conference Center of the John Paul Hammerschmidt Business and Conference Center on Northark’s South Campus.

During his track and cross country career at Bowling Green State University, Wottle earned All-American honors eight times while breaking the four-minute-mile no less than 18 times.  In the 1972 Olympic Trials, he qualified for the Olympic Games in both the 800 meters and in the 1,500 meters.  His performance in the 800 meters was especially memorable as he tied the world record with a time of 1:43.3.  The following year he became the third fastest miler of all time by running a 3:53.3 mile.  Wottle was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980.

Although his Gold Medal victory in the Munich Olympics was one of the closest finishes in Olympic history, most people remember Wottle more for the tattered golf cap he wore during the race than for the race itself.  Dave’s talk at Northark, entitled “The Winning Attitude,” will focus on the need for hard work, goal setting, confidence, concentration, and competitive spirit in the life of a successful person.

A history major while at Bowling Green, Wottle was track and cross country captain, president of the Varsity Athletic Club, inducted into the national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa, and was an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholar.

Presently, Wottle is Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Rhodes College in Memphis.  He is responsible for managing a $16 million financial aid budget.  During his tenure at Rhodes, applications for admission have increased over threefold and enrollment has improved by more than 50 percent.

Wottle’s talk will be the sixth JPH Lecture.  He follows astronaut Dr. Jerry Linenger, Sherpa mountain guide Jamling Tenzing Norgay, CIA officers Tony and Jonna Mendez, syndicated columnist Gwynne Dyer, and Colonel Edward L. Hubbard, who was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, as a speaker in the series.

Last Updated: 26 March, 2002