View source for Charles Dumas

{{short description|American high jumper}}
{{other people}}

{{MedalTableTop}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]] | [[Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics|High Jump]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1959 Pan American Games|1959 Chicago]] | [[Athletics at the 1959 Pan American Games|High Jump]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}

'''Charles Everett "Charlie" Dumas''' (February 12, 1937 – January 5, 2004) was an American [[high jump]]er, the 1956 [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] champion, and the first person to clear 7&nbsp;ft.(2.13 m)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/17/sports/charles-dumas-66-champion-high-jumper.html|title=Charles Dumas, 66, Champion High Jumper|first=Frank|last=Litsky|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=17 January 2004 |access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref>

==Biography==
Dumas started his jumping career as a student first at [[Jefferson High School (Los Angeles, California)|Thomas Jefferson High School]] in [[South Los Angeles|South Central Los Angeles]] for 2 years.  As a sophomore, he finished tied for 4th place at the 1953 [[CIF California State Meet]] for Jefferson.  As a junior and senior he jumped for [[Centennial High School (Compton, California)|Centennial High School]] in [[Compton, California|Compton]] finishing second in 1954 and winning the state championship by four and a half inches in 1955.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |title=California State Meet Results - 1915 to present |publisher=Hank Lawson |access-date=2012-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092406/http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |archive-date=2014-10-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  He was ''[[Track and Field News]]'' "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1955.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/component/content/article/35-stats/2114-t-fn-boys-hs-aoy |title=Track & Field News - the Bible of the Sport Since 1948 |access-date=2015-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818132720/http://trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/component/content/article/35-stats/2114-t-fn-boys-hs-aoy |archive-date=2016-08-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While attending [[Compton College]], near Los Angeles, Dumas, from [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], made his memorable jump on June 29, 1956, in the [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|US Olympic Trials]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], breaking a barrier previously thought unbreakable.

This jump not only ensured him of a place in the American Olympic team, but also made him the top favorite for the gold medal at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]]. He did not disappoint, and grabbed the title in a new Olympic Record.<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/du/charlie-dumas-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417172726/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/du/charlie-dumas-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Charlie Dumas}}</ref>

Next, he enrolled at the [[University of Southern California]], winning the  [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] track and field title with the university team in 1958. In 1960, Dumas competed in the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in Rome, but a knee injury during the competition prevented him from winning a second medal, finishing 6th.

After his career, in which he won five consecutive national high jump titles,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAOutdoorTF/men/mHJ.asp |title=USATF - Statistics - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions |access-date=2012-07-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611083809/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAOutdoorTF/men/mHJ.asp |archive-date=2011-06-11 }}</ref> Dumas became a teacher, working at several schools in the Los Angeles area (including [[Jordan High School (Los Angeles, California)|Jordan High School]] in Watts).

He died of cancer at age 66 in [[Inglewood, California]].  He left behind three children: Keasha, Kyle and Ianna.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{USATF Hall of Fame}}
* {{Olympics.com profile}}
* {{Olympedia}}

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{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Walt Davis]]|title=[[World record progression high jump men|Men's High Jump World Record Holder]]|years=1956-06-29 — 1957-07-13|after={{flagicon|URS}} [[Yuri Stepanov (athlete)|Yuriy Stepanov]]}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumas, Charles}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:American men high jumpers]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:USC Trojans men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:American masters athletes]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Jefferson High School (Los Angeles) alumni]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Centennial High School (Compton, California) alumni]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Compton, California]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]