Paula Jean Myers-Pope (November 11, 1934 – June 9, 1995) was an American diver and four-time Olympic medalist in three Summer Olympic Games (1952, 1956 and 1960).[1]
 Myers-Pope with husband Karl Pope | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Paula Jean Myers |
| Born | November 11, 1934 La Verne, California, U.S.A.[1] |
| Died | June 9, 1995 (aged 60) Ojai, California, U.S.A. |
| Alma mater | Covina High School[2] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Diving[3] |
| Event(s) | Platform, 3m springboard |
| University team | Ohio State University Buckeyes and University of Southern California Trojans |
| Club | Kappa Alpha Theta and Sammy Lee Swim Club[4] |
| Coached by | Rusty Smith (1948-1951) Lyle Draves (1952-1957) Sammy Lee (1958-1960, 1964)[5][6] |
Medal record | |
Education edit
Myers was born and raised in La Verne, California, and attended high school in nearby West Covina, where she was Freshman Class Treasurer, member of the Senior Class Council, the Girls’ Athletic Association and the California Scholastic Federation.[1]
Olympics edit
Myers-Pope was a member of the USA Olympic Diving Team three times, 1952, 1956 and 1960. She won four medals in her three trips to the Olympics.[1][4][5][7]
1952 Olympics edit
At 17 years of age, Myers won a silver medal in the 10-meter tower event at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. Teammate, Pat McCormick won the gold and teammate, Juno Stover-Irwin won the bronze.[5]
1956 Olympics edit
Myers won a bronze medal in the same event, 10-metre platform, at the 1956 Summer Olympics, in Melbourne, Australia. Teammate, Pat McCormick won the gold, again, but this time she flip-flopped with teammate, Juno Stover-Irwin, who won the silver medal this time.[5]
1960 Olympics edit
Myers-Pope won two silver medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, one in the 3-meter springboard event and one in the 10-meter tower. In both events, Miss Ingrid Krämer from East Germany won the gold medals this year.[4][5][7][8]
1964 Olympic trials edit
Myers-Pope had gone into retirement from competitive diving and not been in a pool from the 1960 Olympic Games until April, 1964. At the U.S. Olympic trials, at Astoria Pool, in Queens, New York, in September, 1964, she finished eighth and retired again from competitive diving.[9]
Pan American Games edit
Myers-Pope won two gold medals at the 1959 Pan American Games, in both the 10-meter tower and 3-meter springboard for Team USA.[4][5][7]
College years edit
Myers first attended Ohio State University in the mid 1950s, graduated with a degree in dental hygiene from the University of Southern California and became a dental hygienist.[1] When Miss Myers entered USC on a leadership scholarship as there were no collegiate women's athletic programs at the time. She was inducted into the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority in 1954. She won 11 AAU Championships.[4]
Racquet club edit
In 1984, Myers-Pope retired from her career in dental hygiene, then co-owned and operated the Ojai Valley Racquet Club with her husband in Ojai, California.[1][4][5][7] In 2008, they applied for a major renovation, including a luxury inn, for their Ojai Valley Racquet Club.[10]
Personal life edit
Between the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, Myers joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[11] She married Karl Pope (a USC basketball player) in 1958.[5] The couple had two sons and three daughters.[1] She died at the age of 60 in 1995.[1]
Legacy edit
Myers-Pope was the first woman to use a double twisting 1 1/2 somersault and inward 2 1/2 somersault in competition off the 10 meter.[5] She was the Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year in 1960,[1][12] and she has been inducted into the following Halls of Fame:
- Class of 1952, Covina High School Hall of Fame [13]
- In 1979, the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF).[5]
- In 1988, the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame gave her a "Special Recognition Award".[14]
- In 2007, the University of Southern California Athletic Hall of Fame[12][15]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Paula Jean Myers Pope; Olympic Medalist". Los Angeles Times. June 13, 1995. p. EVB4.
- ^ "Mrs. Paula Jean Myers-Pope | Covina High School | Hall of Fame". www.c-vusd.org. 1952. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Jorgensen, Loren (July 18, 1992). "`TRIALS & TRIUMPHS' ISN'T JUST GOLLY-GEE-WHIZ LOOK AT CHAMPS". www.deseret.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Paul Jean MYERS-POPE Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age". olympics.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "ISHOF.org | Paula Jean Myers Pope (USA) 1979 Honor Diver". ishof.org. 1979. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Smith, David F. (December 3, 2016). "Sammy Lee, 2-time Olympic diving champion, dies at 96". www.theintelligencer.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Olympedia - Paula Jean Myers-Pope". Olympedia.org. OlyMADMen. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ Kane, Martin (September 5, 1960). "SPLENDOR AND SPLEEN - AS THE OLYMPICS BEGAN, GOOD WILL FLOURISHED AMID AWESOME PAGEANTRY, BUT A FLAP WAS JUST HOURS AWAY". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ The New York Times Archives (September 7, 1964). "Form's What Counts; Webster and Linda Cooper Take Diving Finals and Gain Olympic Berths; PLACES ALSO WON BY VITUCCI, GOMPF; Mrs. Talmage, Miss Bush Make Women's Squad—Mrs. Pope Retires Again". www.nytimes.com. p. 15. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Ramos, Julian J. (January 10, 2008). "City may get luxury inn, racquet club". santamariatimes.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News. 1998. p. 555. ISBN 1573454915.
- ^ a b "2007 Inductees For USC Athletic Hall of Fame Announced - USC Athletics". usctrojans.com. October 14, 2006. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Alumni / The CHS Hall of Fame". 1952. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Special Recognition Awards - VC Sports Hall of Fame". venturacountysportshalloffame.org. 1988. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Wolf, Scott (July 7, 2014). "Pete Carroll Makes USC Hall Of Fame". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
External links edit
Media related to Paula Pope at Wikimedia Commons
