Rice Athletics honored Fred Hansen, the only athlete from Rice University to win an Olympic gold medal, during the home football game Oct. 12.
Nearly 60 years ago on Oct. 17, 1964, the former Rice track and field standout won the men’s pole vault at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Hansen’s victory still stands as one of the greatest athletic accomplishments in school history.
“I had a great year in ’64,” Hansen said. “I trained really hard, and things worked out. I got to the point where I felt like no one could beat me.”
To commemorate the anniversary of this historic moment, Hansen was recognized by the crowd after the first quarter of Rice’s football game against the University of Texas at San Antonio. He was joined by members of the Rice men’s and women’s track and field teams.
“Looking back on it, I can’t believe they still bring it up,” Hansen said. “I thought I was just an old has-been, but it makes me feel really proud to know how important it still is here.”
Hansen was an NCAA champion and a three-time All-American in the pole vault at Rice, becoming one of the dominant performers in the sport after his graduation in 1963. He set the world record twice during the summer of 1964.
After he retired from competition, Hansen became a successful dentist in Houston. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame only three years after his victory in Tokyo and was the youngest of the 15 inaugural inductees into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 1970. He entered the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 2016.
Hansen said he remembers his time at Rice fondly and still has a close tie to the university as his granddaughter currently attends Rice.
“Rice University is a special place, and it has a special place in my heart,” he said. “I’m just really pleased with everything that Rice is about.”