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Olympic Gold Medalist Beamon to Discuss His Career and his College Years at Adelphi

Garden City, NY (01/26/2021) — Olympic Gold Medalist and Adelphi University alumnus Bob Beamon will be featured in "A Giant Leap in the Time of Struggle," a discussion scheduled for Thursday, February 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. A collaboration of Adelphi Athletics and the "Great Minds, Great Conversations" series, the event is also part of the University's observance of Black History Month.

Ron Lee, chair of Adelphi's board of trustees, will interview Beamon, a 1972 Adelphi graduate, about his unbroken 52-year-old Olympic record, his time at Adelphi and his reflections on the Black Power movement.

"I remember Beamon's record-shattering long jump and the impact that had on the entire sports world," said Lee, a 1967 gradate and member of the track and field team during his time at Adelphi. "No human had ever jumped that far. The distance by which he exceeded the previous record was unfathomable. I want us all to know what Bob Beamon was thinking at the moment leading into the jump and how he faced challenges afterward."

A Queens, New York, native, Beamon is best known for setting an 8.9 meter long-jump record -- 55 centimeters more than the previous record -- at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. His other achievements include induction into the National Track and Field, New York Track and Field, and U.S. Olympic halls of fame and being named to ESPN's Top 100 Athletes in History.

Beamon's activism dates back to his collegiate days serving as an active voice in protesting racism and promoting equal rights. As a student-athlete at the University of Texas at El Paso, Beamon together with eight of his teammates, boycotted a track meeting against Brigham Young University due to the Book of Mormon's views on Black people. Beamon and his fellow teammates were later thrown off the team and had their scholarships revoked.

Since competing in the Olympics and graduating from Adelphi, Beamon has committed himself to helping the youth of America. In addition to working with the United Way and the South Florida Inner-City Games, he currently serves on the Jesse Owens Foundation Board of Directors and is the newly selected Global Ambassador for Special Olympics.

The event is free and open to the public. To learn more and register, visit bit.ly/3ieVbk6.

Photo credit: Tony Duffy /ALLSPORT

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning.

Adelphi University is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university offering exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training with particular strength in its Core Four-Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness. Adelphi is dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support student success.

Founded in Brooklyn in 1896, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. Today Adelphi serves nearly 8,000 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York-just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities-and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, and online.

More than 116,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, caring citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.

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Olympic Gold Medalist and Adelphi University alumnus Bob Beamon will be featured in “A Giant Leap in the Time of Struggle,” a discussion scheduled for Thursday, February 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. Credit: TONY DUFFY /ALLSPORT

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