University of Minnesota Athletics
Bob Fitch - M Club Hall of Fame
Bob Fitch
Men’s Track & Field, 1939-42, 1945
Football, 1939-42, 1945
HOF Class of 2006
Bob Fitch won the discus competition at the 1942 NCAA Championships and received All-American honors, leading his team to fifth place. He added discus titles at the Big Ten Championships, Drake Relays, and USA Outdoor Track & Field Championship that spring. Four years later, he again won the USA Outdoor Discus Championship.
Fitch also played end on the 1940 and 1941 National Championship Gopher football teams. He returned in 1945 after military service and played a fourth season of Minnesota football, including two College All-Star Games and the East-West Shrine Game.
In 1946, after analyzing discus technique with Gopher star Fortune Gordien and in his first meet in four years, Fitch threw a world-record 180-2, the first throw of more than 180 feet. He was credited with developing the “Minnesota Whip”, an intricate series of gyrations which is now the universal throwing style.
Fitch coached Indiana University’s men's golf for 33 years, 1957 to 1989, during which Indiana won six Big Ten titles, placed second 10 times and appeared in 12 NCAA tournaments. He developed “The Coach” in the 1960s, to help his players develop a better swing; newer versions are still used in golf training.