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THB1972 Munich Olympics USA Track & Field Jersey Worn in 1500 Meters by Bob Wheeler (Duke Legend & '71 NCAA Champ) - Wheeler Family LOA
Timed Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Bid Increments
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About Auction
TimedMar 19, 2025 - Apr 5, 2025
SCP Auctions, Inc. customerservice@scpauctions.com
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- Lot Description
Offered here is the USA Track & Field singlet jersey worn in the 1500 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympics by Duke middle-distance star and ’71 NCAA champion Bob Wheeler. The 1972 Munich Summer Olympics brought us everything from tragedy and triumph to scandal and inspiration. While the massacre of 11 Israeli team members at the hands of Palestinian terrorists may have initially overshadowed any athletic highlights, even now – more than 50 years later – we still marvel at American Mark Spitz’s dominance in the pool and cringe at the outrageous officiating that led to USSR’s shocking upset USA on the hardcourt. Munich’s Olympiastadion hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, and it was on that very track where some of the most memorable performances occurred.
The men’s marathon finished inside the stadium and Frank Shorter become the first American to win gold in that event in 64 years. Fellow USA member Dave Wottle stunned the world by winning the men’s 800. Finland’s Lasse Viren completed an impressive double victory in the men’s 5,000 and 10,000 meters, beating Oregon icon Steve Prefontaine in the former despite Pre running one of the gutsiest Olympic races ever. The 1,500 meters was supposed to be the stage for American Jim Ryun – world-record holder in the 1,500 and the first high school runner to ever break four minutes in the mile – to improve on his ’68 Olympic silver medal. Unfortunately, he fell in qualifying and didn’t even get that chance.
Maryland native Bob Wheeler had a sensational running career at Duke University. A half century later, he is still the fastest miler in Duke history and is a member of the Duke Athletic Hall of Fame. As a freshman, he was ACC champion in cross country, 1971 NCAA champion at 1,000 meters and NCAA runner-up in the mile. As a sophomore, Wheeler again won the ACC cross country title. After finishing third in the NCAA 1,500 meters, Wheeler placed third at the ’72 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1,500 and qualified for Munich (along with Jim Ryun and Dave Wottle). At the Olympics, Wheeler made it through the qualifying heats and advanced to the semifinals (unlike Ryun) where he had the 6th fastest time (3:40.4) out of 30 runners. Unluckily, he was also sixth in his race, run at the quickest pace of the three heats, so he lost out to automatic qualifiers with slower times.
Wheeler wore this USA track jersey in both the qualifying and semifinal heats of the 1,500 meters in Munich. The small, tight-fitting white singlet top has “USA” block letters ironed on the chest in patriotic colors with the Olympic rings in navy blue below. Amazingly, Wheeler’s official competitor’s bib number “1029” is still stapled to the front and can be seen in ’72 Munich stock images (Getty 2149970666 and 1359523846). There are remnants of adhesive on the front and back from the different locations on the shirt where Wheeler affixed his bib. Considering this Olympic jersey saw action over 50 years ago, it comes in terrific condition overall. Consigned directly from the Wheeler estate (Bob died in 2010 at the age of 58), the lot includes a letter of provenance from the Wheeler family.
Personal Note: While certainly not the flashiest athletes, distance runners carry a certain blue-collar moxie. The person writing this description can attest firsthand that Bob Wheeler had just that. We both shared the same college coach (25+ years apart), another Duke legend and former Olympic coach named Al Buehler. The late Coach Al would go on and on raving about Bob's heart, determination and countess triumphs, trying to inspire us. The hardest workouts were always running repeats of "Bob Wheeler Hills" (as they were called) in the Duke Forest of Durham, NC. To this day, Wheeler still holds every individual school record from 800 meters to 1 mile. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to meet Bob before he passed. His legend among Duke and ACC alumni runners, though, will never die. - Shipping Info
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