Earlene Brown

A three-time Olympian, Mrs. Earlene Brown, is the only U.S. female to have ever won a medal in the Olympic shot put. The former Miss Dennis won the first of her eight AAU shot put titles in 1956 with a new U.S. record and at the Final Trials she set new U.S. records in both the shot and the discus. At the 1956 Olympics she placed fourth in the discus and sixth in the shot and, four years later in Rome, she improved to take the bronze medal in the shot. At her last Olympics – Tokyo in 1964 – she placed 12th in the shot. Mrs. Brown, a Los Angeles housewife and mother, improved on the U.S. record in her two specialty events on numerous occasions, her best season being 1960 when she took the records, and her personal bests, up to 54-9¼ (16.69) and 176-10 (53.90). In three of the eight years when she won the AAU, shot she also won the discus throw, and she won both events at the 1959 Pan American Games.

Personal Bests: SP – 16.69 (1960); DT – 53.91 (1960).