LOS ANGELES — George Stanich was successful the 2nd people erstwhile his beingness changed forever.
He and his household were coming location from Thanksgiving erstwhile their car was deed by a drunken driver. His begetter died astir 2 weeks later.
What You Need To Know
- George Stanich represented the United States astatine the Olympic Games successful London, winning a bronze medal successful the precocious jump
- Now 98, Stanich has lived a beingness that stretches crossed astir a period of American history
- Stanich went connected to go a manager astatine El Camino College, wherever helium mentored generations of young athletes
- Stanich has 1 much goal, and it's to instrumentality to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics
“I mislaid my dada erstwhile I was successful the 2nd grade,” Stanich said. “We were successful an automobile mishap coming location from Thanksgiving. We were deed by a drunk driver. He ended up dying successful astir 2 weeks.”
Now 98, Stanich has lived a beingness that stretches crossed astir a period of American history. He grew up extracurricular Sacramento during the Great Depression, a clip erstwhile wealth was scarce and accidental was adjacent harder to find.
After his father’s death, his parent was near to rise the household alone.
But Stanich recovered possibilities successful sports.
“To me, I deliberation they gave maine everything,” Stanich said. “Because you had to enactment for what you got. And the harder you worked, the amended you got. So sports were everything for me.”
For Stanich, sports became some a refuge and a runway.
He played basketball, shot and way and field. Each athletics opened a doorway that mightiness different person remained closed.
In 1948, Stanich represented the United States astatine the Olympic Games successful London, winning a bronze medal successful the precocious jump. He aboriginal attended UCLA, wherever helium played for a young manager named John Wooden and walked the aforesaid field erstwhile traveled by Jackie Robinson.
For Stanich, the interaction of sports went acold beyond medals oregon championships.
“Because it did truthful good for me,” helium said. “It gave maine truthful I could get an education. It conscionable gave maine everything.”
His astir lasting publication whitethorn person travel aft his playing days ended.
Stanich went connected to go a manager astatine El Camino College, wherever helium mentored generations of young athletes. Among them was Keith Erickson, who aboriginal played astatine UCLA and spent 12 seasons successful the NBA, including clip with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Coach Stanich had played for Coach Wooden,” Erickson said. “Because of that, I got to spell to UCLA. We won 2 NCAA championships there. And due to the fact that of that I got to play successful the NBA for 12 years. I’d ne'er dreamed astir thing similar that.”
Stanich’s communicative carries renewed meaning arsenic the United States marks 250 years and Los Angeles prepares to again invited the world.
This summer, 48 nations and millions of fans person gathered astir the World Cup, connected by a game. In 2 years, the Olympics volition instrumentality to Los Angeles, bringing different planetary solemnisation of athletics to the city.
Stanich has 1 much goal.
He wants to beryllium there.
“I’m going to beryllium there,” Stanich said. “I’m going to beryllium there. As agelong arsenic my wellness holds up, I’m going to beryllium there.”
If helium makes it, Stanich would instrumentality to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics, erstwhile the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum becomes the archetypal venue successful past to big 3 Olympic Games.
His beingness has spanned the Great Depression, World War II, the civilian rights epoch and each modern Olympic generation. Through it all, Stanich remains a surviving reminder of 1 of America’s astir enduring ideas: greatness tin travel from anywhere.
And sometimes, each it takes to alteration a beingness is simply a accidental to play.
English (US) ·