Dick Fosbury

Richard Douglas Fosbury was an American high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. He won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, revolutionizing the high jump event with a "back-first" technique now known as the Fosbury flop. His method was to sprint diagonally towards the bar, then curve and leap backward over the bar, which gave him a much lower center of mass in flight than traditional techniques. Debbie Brill was developing her similar "Brill Bend" around the same time. This approach has seen nearly universal adoption since Fosbury's performance in Mexico. Though he never returned to the Olympics, Fosbury continued to be involved in athletics after retirement and served on the executive board of the World Olympians Association.

6 March 1947

Born on the same birth date (6 March 1947): Anna Maria Horsford • Jean Seaton • John Stossel • Kiki Dee • Rob Reiner

Born on the same birth day (6 March): Agnieszka Radwańska • Bob Akin • David Flair • Frankie Howerd • Henry Laurens • Jimmy Hunter • Lex Luger (record producer) • Lucy Barnes (writer) • Madhav Kumar Nepal • Marc Bazin • Marcus Smart • Molla Mallory • Pierre-Édouard Bellemare • Ross Detwiler • Shabani Nonda • Shaquille O'Neal • Steve Vizard • Ylena In-Albon

Born in the same month (March 1947): Alan Sugar • Augustin Banyaga • Brian Jones (aeronaut) • David Franzoni • Dennis Erickson • Elizabeth Ann Scarborough • Jean Seaton • John Boswell • Keri Hulme • Kiki Dee • Kim Campbell • Michael S. Hart • Mick Jones (footballer, born 1947) • Tristan Murail