Aug. 13, 2008
Philadelphia, PA - In light of the 2008 Summer Olympics now being held in Beijing, now marks the perfect opportunity to reflect back and recognize some of the former student-athletes at La Salle University who represented their respective countries in the Olympic Games. Dating all the way back to 1932, 17 student-athletes have been honored as Olympians and from those participants, four members won the gold and two earned the bronze medal.
Charles Kieffer, a La Salle graduate in the late 1920s, was the first Explorer to ever attain the coveted gold medal in the 1932 Los Angeles Games. Kieffer won the medal in rowing (pairs with coxswain) and in doing so, he paved the way for other La Salle student-athletes who strived to follow in his footsteps.
Hugh Foley (Class of ’66) and Stan Cwiklinski (Class of ’66), like Kieffer, were crowned with the Olympic gold medal in Crew, while outmatching the competition with their performance in the eight-man crew in the 1964 Tokyo Games.
In 1948, London saw Joe Verdeur (Class of ’50) set a new Olympic record in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:39.3. Verdeur, who set 19 World and 21 American records in the 200-yard and 200-meter breaststroke during his span, became the second gold medalist from La Salle.
After garnering numerous accolades on the hardwood, Michael Brooks (Class of ’80) was recognized by America on two different occasions. The 1980 College Player of the Year and two-time Big 5 MVP competed in the 1979 Pan American Games for the USA Team. A year later, Brooks was appointed as the Captain of USA Basketball for the 1980 Moscow Games. The United States, however, did not compete that year due to the boycott.
When the Olympic Games returned to Los Angeles in 1984, Diane Moyer (Class of ’80) and Kathy McGahey (Class of ’82) brought back the bronze medal as members of the US Field Hockey Team. Moyer was the first female athlete to be inducted into the Hall of Athletes and McGahey was an All-American in both field hockey and softball while at La Salle.
In the 1956 Olympic Trials, Ira Davis (Class of ’58) set the American record in the hop-step-jump event at 51 feet. Already an impressive feat, Davis later went on to re-set his record at 53 feet, 11 inches. The hop-step-jump is now known as the triple jump.
Other La Salle Olympians include John McIntyre (Crew; Class of ’50), Al Cantello (Track and Field; Class of ’55), William Belden (Crew; Class of ’80), Edwin Borja (Swimming; Class of ’80), Edgar Borja (Swimming; Class of ’84), Diane Bracalente (Field Hockey; Class of ’87), Eric Buhain (Swimming; Class of ’91), Derek Brown (Team Handball; Class of ’93) and Frank Lescas (Swimming; Class of ’93). To see the entire list of La Salle Olympians click here.
