In The Olympic Spotlight

The summer of '32 put the spotlight on Lawrence due to a collection of great athletes assembled in the region.  Haskell University was represented by Wilson Charles, the defending AAU champion in the decathlon.  Wilson was joined by KU's Glenn Cunningham in the 1500-meter run, Clyde Coffman and James Bausch in the decathlon, and Pete Mehringer, a 191.5 lb. wrestler. Yes, KU has had wrestling programs a few times over the years!

Bausch, once considered KU's greatest athlete, had been competing in the decathlon for a little over a year.  He first competed in the event during the 1931 Kansas Relays where he set a new Relay record.  KU junior Clyde Coffman would join Bausch and Wilson in the Olympic Trials in June '32, where they would go on to sweep the trials and represent the entire U.S. decathlon team at the 1932 game in Los Angeles.