Sam Hall (diver)

Samuel "Sam" Wesley Hall (March 10, 1937 – August 11, 2014) was an American Olympic silver medalist diver and member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, where his father Dave was mayor. His brother was Ambassador Tony P. Hall. During his last years he resided in Florida, working in real estate.

Sam Hall

Hall in 1960
Personal information
Born	March 10, 1937 Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Died	August 11, 2014 (aged 77) Florida, U.S.
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight	70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
Sport	Diving
Club	WBNS Swim Club
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1960 Rome Springboard Pan American Games 1959 Chicago Springboard

Olympics 1960

Sam Hall's extraordinary athletic career began at Kettering-Fairmont High School; he was a two-time letterwinner in track and field. During his senior season (1955), Sam established a school record in the pole vault (11-3). His record setting performance came at the Miami Valley League Championships, helping propel Fairmont to the MVL team title; the first in school history. While attending Fairmont, Sam also competed in springboard diving; a sport he pursued at the club level.[1]

In the fall of 1955, Hall enrolled at the Ohio State University; while attending O.S.U, Sam lettered in four sports – gymnastics, soccer, track and diving. As a trackman, Hall competed in the pole vault and javelin; his success in those events led to a crossroads: should he pursue a berth on the US Olympic track and field team, or concentrate on diving. Ultimately, Sam chose diving; he was rewarded with international acclaim.[1]

During 1959–1960, Sam won two Big-Ten Conference championships, three NCAA championships, and three U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles.[2] The pinnacle of Sam Hall's diving career was his silver medal performance at both the 1959 Pan American Games and 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.[3]

After the 1960 Olympics Hall served with the U.S. Air Force and competed in athletics for them, eventually retiring due to a knee injury.[1]

Ohio politics

In 1965, Hall served in the Ohio House of Representatives.[4][5]

Counterterrorist

Hall later worked as an unpaid "volunteer counterterrorist," as Hall described himself,[6] going to Central America to fight on the side of anti-communist forces as an advisor to the Nicaraguan Contras. He reentered the national spotlight again in late 1986 when he was captured by Sandinista National Liberation Front forces, which announced the capture of a "spy". Hall was freed after less than two months.[7]

When interviewed by journalists regarding his "volunteer counterrorist" activity, Hall sometimes referred to himself by saying, "They call me the Evel Knievel of Dayton" or "Just call me Sammy of the Sinai."[8]

Hall died in Florida on August 11, 2014, aged 77.[9]

References

1. Sam Hall. sports-reference.com
2. "Swimming and Diving" (PDF). ncaa.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
3. Sam Hall Olympic medals and stats Archived 2007-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
4. Hershey, William (December 17, 1986) "Sam Hall: Flag-waver or just an egomaniac?". The Lakeland Ledger (Lakeland, Florida), pp. 1A, 11A
5. Sam Hall. IACSP
6. Smolowe, Jill (December 29, 1986) Nicaragua an Ordeal Ends, Another Begins. Time.
7. "HEADLINERS; Out of Nicaragua". The New York Times. February 1, 1987. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
8. Gross, Jane; Times, Special To the New York (1986-12-16). "Two Sons of an Ohio Mayor: Golden Family Torn by Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
9. Stewart, Chris (2014-08-13). "Dayton native, Olympian Sam Hall has died". WHIO. Archived from the original on 2014-08-14.

Further reading

• Hall, Sam; Larry Hussman; Felicia Lewis (1987). Counter-Terrorist. New York: D. I. Fine. ISBN 978-1-55611-049-8. OCLC 16873424.