George Horine

Inhibited by the backyard layout of a new family home, George Horine was forced to set the high jump standards for his practice sessions in such a manner that he had to approach the bar from the left instead of the right, which had been his former style. The new style, which Horine had adopted of necessity, was effectively the forerunner of the western roll technique. When Horine was a freshman at Stanford in 1910, his coach ordered him to abandon his new technique and adopt a more traditional style. Initially this paid dividends as, in 1911, Horine jumped 6-4 (1.93) to equal the 24-year-old collegiate record. But in his junior year, Horine reverted, against his coach’s wishes, to his roll technique and the results were startling. First he pushed up the collegiate record to 6-4¾ (1.95), then he broke the world record with 6-6⅛ (1.985), and a few weeks later, he became the first man to jump two meters, clearing 6-7 (2.00). Horine could not maintain this early season form and managed only a bronze at the Olympics. But his world record stayed intact until 1914 and, in 1915, Horine won his only AAU title in the high jump.

Horine also competed in the 1912 Olympic Baseball demonstration event.

Personal Best: HJ – 6-7 (2.007) (1912).