The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

North Dakota: Cliff Cushman

Sport: Track and Field

Olympics: Rome 1960

There aren’t many things to be prouder of than representing the United States in the Olympics but one of those things is being part of the U.S. military and serving your country. This was the case for Cliff Cushman who could have seen a very successful track and field career had he not enlisted in the United States Air Force.

Cushman is one of the athletes on the list that was born in one state but called another one home. North Dakota was home for Cushman and he showed early promise in his sport during his days at Grand Forks Central High School. He broke a number of records while attending the high school and was later inducted into their Hall of Fame. Upon graduation, Cushman went to attend the University of Kansas and again broke records. He was named the captain of the Jayhawks track and field team while winning a national title in the 400-meter hurdles. The highlight of his career came in 1960 when he took home the silver medal in the hurdles. Cushman was ready to compete again in 1964 but failed to qualify when he stumbled over a hurdle in the final trial. When he graduated from Kansas, Cushman enlisted in the Air Force.

While serving in Vietnam, Cushman was piloting a helicopter when it was hit by anti-aircraft artillery which would destroy his craft. Even though his fellow pilots saw him eject from the wreckage, they were unable to recover Cushman and he was declared dead on November 6, 1975.

Honorable Mention: Casper Oimoen, skiing in Lake Placid 1932 and Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936