Sports fans are most familiar with Wilt Chamberlain as the greatest basketball player of all time. People who are not familiar with basketball and specifically Wilt Chamberlain may recognize the name because of his public life. Many people don’t realize that track and field was the first thing Wilt loved before basketball became his main focus.
Chamberlain was born August 21, 1936. He grew up Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain had eight siblings who all came from the same family: father William and mom Olivia. Wilt once stated that his first reaction when he saw basketball in Eastern Pennsylvania as a kid was to consider it to be a game. “a game for sissies.”Track and field was the sport Wilt Chamberlain became exponentially more passionate over as a young man.
Wilt Chamberlain, an athletic freak who was reportedly 6’6 tall and had high-jump before he reached high school age, is said to be a high jumper.” which is a mark that would win most high school varsity track meets. Around the same time Wilt was also putting up ridiculously impressive broad jump numbers that are understood to be as far as 22 feet. For comparison purposes almost all high school track athletes can not reach 22 feet in a running long jump and Wit is reported to have reached that length from a stationary standing broad jump position. The high jumping and broad jumping talents are perhaps to be expected considering what the public now knows about his success on the basketball court, however the track and field prowess that Wilt showed was not confined to jumping events.
Thanks to the long strides and powerful running style that Chamberlain employed he was a miraculous middle distance runner as his preteen times of 49 seconds in the 440 yard race (once around a standard track) and under two minutes in the 880 yard distance (twice around a standard track) are exceptional numbers for even a college athlete. Chamberlain excelled at every aspect of track and field including running, jumping, and throwing. He is reported to have tossed a shot put over 53 feet in his youth.
Chamberlain matured very quickly and continued to grow at a rapid pace. At the age of 10 the young man was already 6′ tall and when he started high school he was an astounding 6’11”. A 7’2″ college freshmen playing basketball at the University of Kansas (commonly referred to as KU) the 240 pound Chamberlain could reach 9’6″You can only stand flat-footed in the air (no tips toes).
Wilt began his love for track and field while playing basketball at the University of Kansas. He was 7’2″, and ran the 100-yard dash in less than 11 seconds. Also, he threw 56 feet. Chamberlain excelled in sprinting, throwing and both. His best events were unsurprisingly jumping. Chamberlain triple jumps in excess 50ft and won the Big 8 Conference high-jumping competition for three consecutive years. The world of track and fields is blessed with rare athletes who are able to compete at the highest levels in all jumping events and sprints. Wilt is the most famous man with this dynamic combination of skills.