Jim Bausch

Jim Bausch was a letterman in basketball, football, and track during his brief stay at Wichita University (now Wichita State) and when he moved on to the University of Kansas, he became nationally known as an All-American football player. In 1931 he put his multiple talents as a track and field star together and won the AAU pentathlon and placed sixth in the decathlon. In 1932 he won the AAU decathlon, and in only his third try at the event, he won the Olympic gold medal. In Los Angeles, Bausch was in fifth place after the first day but on the second day he placed first in the discus, javelin, and pole vault to set a new world record of 8,462.235 points. His outstanding performance on the second day came in the pole vault when he cleared 13-1½ (4.00), which would have earned him equal fifth place in the individual pole vault. Bausch had some difficult years after the Olympics. He played pro football briefly with the Cincinnati Reds (1933) and Chicago Cardinals (1934), but with little success. Even more dismal was his attempt to launch a career as a nightclub singer. Bausch finally had some luck as an insurance salesman but during World War II, while serving with the navy in the Pacific, he contracted osteomyelitis, which plagued him the rest of his life. The pain was severe and he eventually had some problems with alcohol abuse, but overcame them and spent his last years gallantly helping others with the same problem.

Personal Best: Dec – 6735 (1932).