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Reprint: Frank was interviewed by a reporter from
the Los Angeles Herald Examiner in
1972 for his reflections of the 1932 Olympics held in Los Angeles, CA. The
article below appeared in the California
Living Section of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner on August 20, 1972
"FOR A FORMER SUPER SPEEDSTER,
THE MEMORIES LINGER ON"
Photo of Frank Wykoff to the left -- age 63 (1972)
Photo of Frank Wykoff to the right - age 20 (1930) at U. S. C.
By: ALAN BINE
Herald-Examiner Staff Writer
8-20-72
_____________
"The important thing in the
Olympic Games is not winning,
but taking part. The essential
thing is not conquering, but fighting well."
--Baron Pierre de Coubertin
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Four decades have elapsed since Los Angeles played host to the 1932 Olympic Games, but Frank
Wykoff of Alhambra remembers them as if it were only yesterday.
"You never forget the thrill
of the
Olympics," says the one-time "world's fastest human."
A member of the American 400--meters relay teams that
won gold medals in Amsterdam
(1928),
Los Angeles (1932), and in
Berlin (1936),
he will view the upcoming international athletic spectacle
in Munich on television August 26 through Sept. 10.
ABC, Channel 7, will air 61 1/2 hours of the Olympics, pre-empting its entire prime span of 8 - 11 p.m., plus live coverage by
satellite and much day-time coverage.
Wykoff had planned
to attend the show of athletic prowess following his retirement last
June after 39 years as an education administrator, however
the health of his wife, Ethel Mae, made the European trip ill-advisable.
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FRANK WYKOFF
Click Photograph above to
enlarge
Frank Wykoff, baton in hand
(above) crosses finish line after
anchor leg of United States' 400-
meter relay victory in the 1932
Olympics in Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum.
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"I'll never forget the elation of
living at the Olympic Village in Baldwin park," he said.
There were 600 portable units constructed, with every facility
for living, training and entertainment for male competitors
among the 200 athletes. Women athletes lived at Chapman
Park Hotel.
"Being able to visit throughout
the village, trying to overcome the language differences with
representative of 56 nations, was a rare delight."
Construction of the complex -- the
inspiration of Zack T. Farmer, secretary and general manager
of the X Olympiad -- was a first since de Coubertin of France
conceived the modern Games in 1896 at Athens, Greece.
THE EXCLUSIVE ...
"ALL MALE" -- OLYMPIC VILLAGE
IN BALDWIN HILLS, CA. 1932:
Until 1932, teams arrived almost
without notice in the city of the competition, were housed privately in
boarding facilities, trained on their own, secretly, were transported privately to the
various arenas, and customarily, were sent home as soon as their individual events were completed.
"All that ended in Los Angeles,"
Wykoff said.
"Every night at the village, prominent motion picture
stars arrived and put on gigantic shows for us all.
"It was interesting to see
the different foods served to foreign athletes and it
was surprising, to me, at least, to
watch Frenchmen drinking wine with their
meals.
"When you left the village for any reason, there were
always big crowds outside, seeking autographs, which were a
big thing to us.
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The Glendale schoolboy,
a native of Des Moines, Iowa,
was 18 when he qualified for the 1928 Games in Holland,
after defeating his childhood here,
Charlie Paddock on June 16, 1928, in the final tryouts. Paddock had
held the 100-yard dash record and had been on two previous
American Olympic squads.
"That was a goal I'd set for
myself when I was only in the sixth grade,"
says Wykoff who, at 52, weight the same 150 pounds at
which he tipped the scales while he was racing.
"Little did I realize, at the time, he was growing
older. I was getting older, too, but I was just
entering my prime, while he was leaving his.
"I defeated him in both the 100 and 200 meters to
earn a place on the team in 1928, and that was the first
of my biggest thrills.
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WYKOFF - PADDOCK 1928
Above photo from another article
"Frank Wykoff,
the "Saga of Sprinting"
by Ted Hasapes |
"Soon after the 1928 trials in the Coliseum ended, they
put us in a big limousine and drove us downtown to the
Paramount theater. They put us on the stage, to show us
off and try to stimulate contributions to send the team
overseas. That was some kind of new attention for me."
Six weeks later, at the Games in Holland,
he
finished fourth behind medalist
Percy Williams of
Canada in the 100 meters, but went unplaced in the 200 meters.
Click Photograph above to enlarge
photo: "The Central News Ltd. London"
Note: The photo above was not
in the original Herald- Examiner article
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"I felt the same tremendous thrill
on all three winning occasions. That's when you climb
the steps onto the (Victory) stand and all of the people rise
while the
National Anthem of your country is played and your
national flag is being hoisted to the top of the pole.
"That's when the cold chills really go up and down your
spine and make all the hard work, sacrifice, devotion and
training so worthwhile.
"Over the years, I've heard many Olympians- delivering
little speeches, all saying virtually the same thing: The
thrills you feel watching the American Flag being raised and
hearing the playing of the Star Spangled Banner ... well,
that's worth it all."
Wykoff also remembers details of three other cherished
moments of the Games "in my own backyard" here 40 years back.
"It's hard to minimize the emotion I felt while parading
into the Coliseum with all of the others for the opening
ceremonies
Click Photograph above to enlarge
Above photo from this Herald-Examiner
article 8-20-72
(July 30, 1932 with 101,022 people on hand),
where Vice President
Charles Curtis ... delivered the official welcome to the
visiting teams on behalf of the President of the United
States, Herbert Hoover.
"I'd been really looking forward to winning the
100-meters that year, because I yearned for a place on the
victory stand by myself.
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"During the early part of the
season, one evening, when Coach Dean Cromwell wasn't
around, I was foolin' around trying to throw a
javelin.
Instead, I threw out my sacroiliac. I had back trouble practically
the rest of the year.
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FRANK WYKOFF
& COACH CROMWELL
Click Photograph above to
enlarge
Above photo from the
Herald-Examiner article 8-20-72
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"Up in Palo Alto (California), in the
final Olympic Trials, I had about eight inches of
tape wrapped around my body to relieve the strain on my
back. Otherwise, I was in awfully good shape, but I
just couldn't extend my legs to take a normal stride.
"In the 100-meters final, I got a superb start and
after 40-50 yards was out in front of everybody.
Then they began going by me in a blur and I was able to
finish in fourth place. That was sufficiently good
to qualify for the team and the relays again."
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OLYMPIC FINALS
7-11-36
Wykoff
Owens
Click Photograph above to enlarge
Photograph source unknown
Wykoff files |
Claiming the second of his three gold medals (all since
contributed to the impressive display of Olympiad memorabilia at United
Savings/Helms Athletic Foundation near Los Angeles International -- note -- since
this article was written, the Helms Foundation is no longer in
existence and all
of Frank Wykoff's memorabilia is now at the Amateur
Athletic Foundation -- located at 2141 West Adams
Boulevard -- Los Angeles, California 90018-2040 (323) 730-4600.
Internet -
www.aafla.org
in 1932, Wykoff, however, still suffered mild
disappointment.
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"Two of my (Kappa Alpha) fraternity brothers at USC,
Duncan McNaughton and Bob Van Osdel, made the team in
the high jump.
"They were both close friends, but privately I was rooting
for Van Osdel.
"Mac was a Canadian by birth and, naturally, was
representing his native land. I was hoping for an
American victory, but it wasn't meant to be.
Mac won." |
BOB VAN OSDEL
Click Photograph above to enlarge
U. S. C. Photograph source
Wykoff files |
Wykoff's collegiate friendship with Van Osdel has strengthened
over the years. As a matter of fact, Dr. Robert Van
Osdel, D. D. S. is his personal dentist, too.
After his graduation from USC, Wykoff taught a year in
Atascadero (California) before moving to
Carpinteria (California),
where he spent 16 years, as a school principal first, then
later, as superintendent before returning to serve 22 years
as director of special schools for the Los Angeles County
Board of Education.
The Wykoff's have a daughter, Mrs. Marjorie (Dick) Champion
who lives in Camarillo, and a son, David, who lives in
Chicago. They also have five grandchildren.
Among Wykoff's souvenirs of the 1932 Olympic Games is his
track uniform emblazoned with the shield of the USA.
"I still recall that, during the parade at the opening of the
Olympics, the American Flag -- alone among all the nations
--
is never dipped
in salute. I'm proud that tradition lives on."
END
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