On this day 70 years ago, South Connellsville native and Connellsville High School graduate John Woodruff lined up at the starting line of the 800-meter final in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Exactly 1 minute, 52.9 seconds later, Woodruff earned the title of Olympic champion as he literally came from last place late in the race to outdistance some of the best runners in the world.
"I remember everything like it happened yesterday," Woodruff said.
Woodruff, 91, has had his share of health problems in recent years and had parts of both of his legs amputated. However, Woodruff is still mentally sharp, and he is grateful to still be able to remember the event which not only defined him, but also helped shape the sports landscape and history for an entire community.
"Thank goodness I've reached this age in my life and I can still remember those times," Woodruff said.
The Connellsville area remembers Woodruff's historic accomplishment as well. Each year, the community celebrates Woodruff's gold-medal winning performance with a 5K race named in his honor. In July 2007, the Woodruff 5K race will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
Woodruff is a 1935 graduate of Connellsville High School and was a freshman at Pitt when he captured Olympic glory. There are tentative plans to honor Woodruff at a Panthers football game sometime this season.
"The University of Pittsburgh has a tremendous heritage, and it is important for our current athletes to recognize those that blazed a trail for them," Pitt assistant athletic director E.J. Borghetti said. "John Woodruff certainly falls into that category."
Woodruff won his gold medal as Adolf Hitler and the German government looked on.
"He won a gold medal in a stadium where hatred was starting to rise," Borghetti said. "But this humble man from Connellsville made sure that hatred didn't rule the day."
During the race, Woodruff came to a complete stop after getting caught up in the middle of the pack and boxed in on all sides. His maneuver cost him valuable seconds in the race, but Woodruff used his nine-foot stride and finishing speed to simply pass all of his competitors on the outside.
"I was very much elated in the way that I won," Woodruff said. "I was boxed in, but I was able to stop and then run around the entire field."
After the Olympics, Woodruff came home to a hero's welcome in Connellsville. He was honored with a parade through town.
Woodruff went on to win three half-mile championships at Pitt before graduating in 1939. He earned a Masters degree in sociology from New York University in 1941. Following his college career, Woodruff served in the military during World War II and the Korean War. He achieved the rank of captain in 1945 and lieutenant colonel in 1957.
Woodruff later worked in New York City for the Children's Aid Society. He also was employed as a school teacher, a parole officer and a special investigator for the New York Department of Welfare.
Woodruff lived in New Jersey for a number of years before moving to Fountain Hills, Ariz., where he now resides.
But even though his life was filled with many notable accomplishments, the race he ran 70 years ago today stands at the top of the list, and Woodruff is grateful that so many local residents still remember his remarkable achievement.
"I appreciate the fact that people still remember," Woodruff said. "It's almost like I left a legacy there."
