O'Brien, Parry (William Parry Jr.)
Track and Field
b. Jan. 28, 1932, Santa Monica, CA
d. April 21, 2007
O'Brien revolutionized shot putting in the early 1950s by starting with his face toward the back of the ring and going through a 180-degree turn to build up momentum. On May 8, 1954, just two days after Roger Bannister had become the first to run the mile in less than 4 minutes, O'Brien became the first to put the shot more than 60 feet. Within a short time, virtually every shot putter had adopted his technique.
As a student at the University of Southern California, O'Brien won the NCAA title in 1952 and 1953. He was the AAU national outdoor champion from 1951 through 1956 and in 1959 and 1960, and he won the indoor title nine straight years, 1953 through 1961. He was also the AAU discus champion in 1955.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound O'Brien won gold medals in his event at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and at the 1955 and 1959 Pan-American Games. He won a silver medal in the 1960 Olympics and placed fourth in 1964.
From July of 1952 to June of 1956, O'Brien was the shot put winner at 116 consecutive meets. He set his first world record in 1953 with a put of 59-2¼, and he improved on that fifteen times during the next six years. His last world record was 63 feet, 2 inches in 1959, when he won the Sullivan Award as the nation's outstanding amateur athlete.
While others surpassed his mark, O'Brien kept improving. He achieved a personal best of 64 feet, 7¼ inches in 1966. He still holds the record for the combined shot put, 106 feet, 10½ inches, achieved with a right-handed put of 61 feet, ¾ inch and a left-handed put of 45 feet, 9½ inches.