University of Minnesota Athletics
Fortune Gordien
9/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Fortune Gordien |
Fortune Gordien came to the University of Minnesota in 1946 via Minneapolis and went on to become the state's premier track and field star of his era. Gordien attended the U of M from 1942 to 1948, taking a two-year layoff for WWII. In 1948, he led the Gophers to their first-ever NCAA track and field championship, after the team had finished third the year before. That year the shot put and discus thrower won his third consecutive NCAA discus title. Overall, the four-time All-American was a three-time Big Ten champion, six-time AAU national champion, and a three-time Olympian (1948, 1952 and 1956). He won a bronze medal in 1948 and added a silver in 1956. In 1953, in Pasadena, Calif., he set a world record discus throw of 194 feet, 6 inches that stood for more than a decade. Among his many honors and accolades, Gordien was inducted to the Helms Hall of Fame in 1953. In addition, he was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1979. He retired from athletic competition in the early 1960s and later went on to teach and coach at the high school level.
M Club Hall of Fame
