Olympic gold medal winning high jumper who revolutionized the sport, developing the back-first technique that later became standard practice.
He competed in track and field at Oregon State University.
His high jumping technique was initially met with scrutiny and was dubbed the "Fosbury Flop" because people thought he looked like a fish flopping in a boat when he jumped.
He grew up in Medford, Oregon.
He took his gold medal at the 1968 Olympics where African-American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously promoted civil rights by raising their black-gloved fists in the air.
