Sports Legends: The “Osborn Roll”
Illini Olympian Harold Osborn developed the “Osborn Roll” that helped him bring home two Olympic gold medals. (Image courtesy of Getty Images) He doesn’t have a statue or a building with his name on it. But Harold M. Osborn, 1922 ACES, probably should.
At the 1924 Olympics, Illinois great Osborn became the only person in Games history to win gold medals in both the decathlon and in an individual event.
In Osborn’s case, it was the high jump, a discipline he dominated during his collegiate career at the Big Ten, NCAA and American Athletic Union levels. Using a combination of precision and athletic ability, he developed the “Osborn Roll” to excel, and he later wrote a paper describing the technique. Osborn’s feats were made even more impressive due to a physical limitation: He’d lost most of the vision in one eye because of an accident sustained as a teenager.
From 1920 to 1922, the Illinois Athletics Hall of Famer helped his school take Big Ten titles all three years.
He set a string of national and world records in his specialty, including the mark for standing high jump (5′-5¾”) that remains the standard today. Osborn’s competitive career lasted 22 years from 1917 to 1939. He held six world records.
Osborne’s Olympic medals and track suit now are in the University Archives. (Image courtesy of UI Archives)
Osborn’s remarkable ability to clear a bar with his body stayed with him later in life. In 1944 at age 44, he high jumped 6′ during the long-running Drake Relays at Drake University in Iowa.
Osborn grew up on a farm in Butler, Ill., a community 110 miles southwest of Champaign. According to detailed information provided by his grandson, Steve Huneryager, Osborn’s sports-minded father built a track with hurdles and obstacles for Harold to navigate.
Osborn continued to compete after the Paris triumph, earning a silver medal at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.
His days of full-time training behind him, Osborn completed his U. of I. degree and began teaching and coaching, first in Lewistown, Ill., and later at Champaign High School and in Florida. He next became a doctor of osteopathy, practicing medicine in Champaign. He also assisted the U. of I. track team.
A charter member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974, “Doc” passed away in 1975 at age 75.
Osborn’s family has preserved his legacy. Huneryager, his wife Dinna Laxamana-Huner-yager, ’89 LAS, daughter Joie and youngest son Lucas made the trip to Paris during this past summer to attend the opening Olympic ceremonies.
Osborn’s family has donated his memorabilia and artifacts to the University Archives. The
collections includes his Olympic medals and uniform.
