Bill Nieder

William ("Bill") Henry Nieder (born 10 August, 1933) was an American athlete who mainly competed in the shot put. He was born in Hempstead, New York.

He competed for the United States at the 1956 Summer Olympics and received a silver medal for his 18.18 m long throw. Nieder later won gold for his throw of 19.68 m/64 feet 6 & 3/4 inches at the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy. Parry O'Brien was second, and Dallas Long third.

Nieder grew up in Kansas and was the first high school athlete to break the 60-foot barrier with the 12-pound shot. At the University of Kansas, he became the first college athlete to surpass 60 feet with the 16-pound shot.

Largely overshadowed by Parry O'Brien and Dallas Long, Nieder won only two national championships, the NCAA outdoor title in 1955 and the AAU outdoor title in 1957. However, he set world records four times, at 62-2 in 1959, 63-10, 65-7 and 65-10 in 1960. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder retired from competition after the 1960 Summer Olympics and tried professional boxing, but was knocked out in his only bout.

References

* [http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=223 Profile]