15 greatest Olympians to appear on a Wheaties box

14. Bruce Jenner, Track & Field

It may seem implausible today, but once upon a time, before reality television, Bruce Jenner was an American sports icon.

The timing of Jenner’s greatest athletic feat — his record-setting decathlon performance at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal — played a crucial part in achieving his newly-aquired societal status.

The Montreal Games took place during the height of the Cold War, and any perceived victory over the Soviets was amplified. Mykola Avilov and Leonid Lytvynenko of the Soviet Union took home gold and silver at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, respectively, while the united States was left off the podium.

Jenner brought about optimism for the Americans heading into the 1976 games, setting a decathlon world record with 8,538 points during the Olympic team trials in Eugene, Ore. the month prior. He went one step further in Montreal. Not only did Jenner reclaim the gold for the United States, but in doing so, he eclipsed the Olympic record set by Avilov four years earlier in Munich.

The performance, although it was his only Olympic appearance, was clearly enough to impress Wheaties. Jenner graced the cover in both 1977 and 2012.

Next: No. 13