American athlete and stuntman (1932–2023)
Dean Smith
Smith in 2013
Full name Finis Dean Smith Born (1932-01-15 ) January 15, 1932
Breckenridge, Texas , U.S. Died June 24, 2023(2023-06-24) (aged 91)
Finis Dean Smith (January 15, 1932 – June 24, 2023) was an American
track and field athlete , winner of a
gold medal in the
4 × 100 m relay at the
1952 Summer Olympics ; he was also an actor and noted stuntman, appearing in many films and TV series.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Early life, education, and sports career
Born in
Breckenridge, Texas , Smith won the
Amateur Athletic Union championships in
100 m in
1952 . At the
Helsinki
Olympics , he was fourth in the 100 m and ran the leadoff leg for the American gold medal-winning 4 × 100 m relay team.
[1] As a sprinter on the Longhorn track team, Smith ran a 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds, one-tenth of a second off the
world record at the time.
[3]
After graduating from
University of Texas at Austin where he ran track and was a member of the Silver Spurs, Smith played professional
football for the
Los Angeles Rams and the
Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of his career in Hollywood.
[4]
Later sports career
Later on, Smith competed in amateur rodeo. His events were bareback bronc riding and calf roping. He won championships in both events.
[5] The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associations made him an honorary member.
[4] He also participated in the team roping event in Reba McEntire's Pro Celebrity Rodeo in May 1997.
[6]
Post-sports/Hollywood career
Following his sports career, Smith performed as a professional
rodeo cowboy and stuntman in various
Western movies such as
The Alamo ,
The Comancheros ,
How The West Was Won ,
McLintock! ,
Rio Conchos ,
Big Jake ,
El Dorado , and
Rio Lobo .
[7]
[4] He also appeared in such Western TV shows as
Tales of Wells Fargo ,
Maverick ,
Gunsmoke ,
Lawman ,
Have Gun Will Travel ,
The Iron Horse and
Walker, Texas Ranger .
[4]
Some of what
Variety called his "most impressive" stunts included falling out of a two-story building into a hay wagon in
McLintock! (1963) starring
Maureen O'Hara .
[4] Smith was noticed by famed director
John Ford when working on the 1958
Rosalind Russell project,
Auntie Mame , and as a result went on to be featured in many of Ford's subsequent films.
[4]
Honors
In 2006 he was inducted into the
Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame .
[8] In 2009 he was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame.
[9] He is also a member of the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Smith is a member of the Hollywood Stuntman's Hall of Fame.
[10] In 1997 he was named "All American Cowboy", and in 1998 he received a
Golden Boot Award .
[11] In 2007 he received the Silver Spur award for his contributions as a stuntman in the film business.
[12]
Personal life
Smith died on June 24, 2023, at age 91.
[7]
[13]
[14]
Competition record
References
^
a
b
"Dean Smith Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com" . April 18, 2020. Archived from
the original on April 18, 2020.
^ Fuster, Jeremy (June 25, 2023).
"Dean Smith, Olympic Champion Sprinter and Stuntman for John Wayne, Dies at 91" . Retrieved June 26, 2023 .
^
a
b Jaklewicz, Greg (July 6, 2017).
"Stuntman, 'West Texas boy' Smith at Paramount for movie" . Abilene Reporter-News . Retrieved June 26, 2023 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f Franklin, McKinley (June 25, 2023).
"Dean Smith, Olympic Athlete and Western Stuntman, Dies at 91" . Variety . Retrieved June 26, 2023 .
^ Kerns, William (July 27, 2012).
"Dean Smith, Marisa Wayne guests at 2012 John Wayne Film Festival" . Lubbock Avalanche-Journal . Retrieved June 26, 2023 .
^
"Reba McEntire Pro Celebrity Rodeo" . NewsOK.com . May 11, 1997. Retrieved April 30, 2017 . [
dead link ]
^
a
b Barnes, Mike (June 25, 2023).
"Dean Smith, Olympic Sprinter Turned Hollywood Stunt Performer, Dies at 91" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 26, 2023 .
^ Software, Bengal.
"Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame: Past Inductees" . texasrodeocowboy.com . Archived from
the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017 .
^
"National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame – Dallas/Ft. Worth" . cowboysofcolor.org . Archived from
the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2017 .
^
"Hollywood Stuntman's Hall Of Fame- Members" . stuntmen.org . Retrieved April 30, 2017 .
^
"Golden Boot Awards" . goldenbootawards.com . Archived from
the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2017 .
^ Sonnabend, N. Ellen (September 16, 2012),
Dean Smith's Acceptance Speech Silver Spur Awards 2007 ,
archived from the original on December 22, 2021, retrieved April 30, 2017
^ Franklin, Darrell (June 24, 2023).
"Legendary hall-of-fame Texoman passes" . texomashomepage.com . Retrieved June 26, 2023 .
^ Franklin, McKinley (June 25, 2023).
"Dean Smith, Olympic Athlete and Western Stuntman, Dies at 91" .
External links
1912 :
David Jacobs ,
Henry Macintosh ,
Victor d'Arcy ,
Willie Applegarth (
GBR )
1920 :
Charley Paddock ,
Jackson Scholz ,
Loren Murchison ,
Morris Kirksey (
USA )
1924 :
Loren Murchison ,
Louis Clarke ,
Frank Hussey ,
Al LeConey (
USA )
1928 :
Frank Wykoff ,
James Quinn ,
Charley Borah ,
Henry Russell (
USA )
1932 :
Bob Kiesel ,
Emmett Toppino ,
Hector Dyer ,
Frank Wykoff (
USA )
1936 :
Jesse Owens ,
Ralph Metcalfe ,
Foy Draper ,
Frank Wykoff (
USA )
1948 :
Barney Ewell ,
Lorenzo Wright ,
Harrison Dillard ,
Mel Patton (
USA )
1952 :
Dean Smith ,
Harrison Dillard ,
Lindy Remigino ,
Andy Stanfield (
USA )
1956 :
Ira Murchison ,
Leamon King ,
Thane Baker ,
Bobby Morrow (
USA )
1960 :
Bernd Cullmann ,
Armin Hary ,
Walter Mahlendorf ,
Martin Lauer (
EUA )
1964 :
Paul Drayton ,
Gerry Ashworth ,
Richard Stebbins ,
Bob Hayes (
USA )
1968 :
Charles Greene ,
Mel Pender ,
Ronnie Ray Smith ,
Jim Hines (
USA )
1972 :
Larry Black ,
Robert Taylor ,
Gerald Tinker ,
Eddie Hart (
USA )
1976 :
Harvey Glance ,
Lam Jones ,
Millard Hampton ,
Steve Riddick (
USA )
1980 :
Vladimir Muravyov ,
Nikolay Sidorov ,
Aleksandr Aksinin ,
Andrey Prokofyev (
URS )
1984 :
Sam Graddy ,
Ron Brown ,
Calvin Smith ,
Carl Lewis (
USA )
1988 :
Viktor Bryzhin ,
Vladimir Krylov ,
Vladimir Muravyov ,
Vitaliy Savin (
URS )
1992 :
Michael Marsh ,
Leroy Burrell ,
Dennis Mitchell ,
Carl Lewis ,
James Jett (
USA )
1996 :
Robert Esmie ,
Glenroy Gilbert ,
Bruny Surin ,
Donovan Bailey ,
Carlton Chambers (
CAN )
2000 :
Jon Drummond ,
Bernard Williams ,
Brian Lewis ,
Maurice Greene ,
Tim Montgomery ,
Kenny Brokenburr (
USA )
2004 :
Jason Gardener ,
Darren Campbell ,
Marlon Devonish ,
Mark Lewis-Francis (
GBR )
2008 :
Keston Bledman ,
Marc Burns ,
Emmanuel Callender ,
Richard Thompson ,
Aaron Armstrong (
TTO )
2012 :
Nesta Carter ,
Michael Frater ,
Yohan Blake ,
Usain Bolt ,
Bailey-Cole (
JAM )
2016 :
Asafa Powell ,
Yohan Blake ,
Nickel Ashmeade ,
Usain Bolt ,
Jevaughn Minzie ,
Kemar Bailey-Cole (
JAM )
2020 :
Lorenzo Patta ,
Marcell Jacobs ,
Fausto Desalu ,
Filippo Tortu (
ITA )
1876–1878New York Athletic Club 1879–1888NAAAA 1888–1979Amateur Athletic Union 1980–1992The Athletics Congress 1993–presentUSA Track & Field Notes
Note 1 : In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
OT : The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
2020 OT : The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic .
Distance :Until 1927 the event was over 100 yards, and again from 1929-31
ro :In 1886 the event was won after a run-off
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