University of Minnesota Athletics
Jack DeField - M Club Hall of Fame
Jack DeField
Class of 2009
Track & Field: 1941-43
During the early 1940s no Golden Gopher pole vaulter was more dominant than Jack DeField.
Twice he captured NCAA titles for the pole vault, doing so in 1942 and 1943, making him one of two Gopher trackmen who have won two or more track and field NCAA titles. In fact, he and Bob Finch were the first Gopher track athletes to ever earn All-America honors, doing so in 1942. DeField was a three-time Big Ten outdoor champion in the pole vault and won the Big Ten indoor title in 1942.
With all his success, DeField became Minnesota's captain in 1942, leading the team to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
After leaving Minnesota, DeField won the pole vault with a mark of 14-0 at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. In 2002, DeField was inducted into the Minnesota USATF Hall of Fame.