University of Minnesota Athletics
Tim Heikkila - M Club Hall of Fame
Tim Heikkila
Men’s Track & Field, 1967-71
HOF Class of 1991
Tim Heikkila, 1967 Wisconsin State High School high jump champion, became the first University of Minnesota athlete to clear the seven-foot high jump barrier.
His 7-0 leap at the 1969 Big Ten Outdoor Championships made Heikkila the Gophers’ first conference high jump champ since 1950. It earned him a top-10 ranking among all U.S. high jumpers.
The team captain became the first Gopher to earn outdoor All-America high jump honors, with a second-place finish at the 1971 NCAA Championships. That season, the he was ranked third all-time in the U.S., seventh in the world. He was named to the USA Track & Field Team that toured Europe.
Long after graduating with an education degree, Heikkila became the 1990 Masters National Indoor and Outdoor High Jump Champion. In 2000, he was inducted into the USA Minnesota Track & Field Hall of Fame.