Hall of Fame
Fortitude. Grit. Spunk. These would all be appropriate words to describe Carl O’Donnell’s 1968 NCAA Championship javelin throw. The Wenatchee native began his most notable Cougar career by setting the WSU freshman school javelin record with a 1965 toss of 228-feet, 10 inches. In the time when athletic competitions were not confined by safety constraints, O’Donnell set the American indoor javelin record with a throw of 250-feet. O’Donnell, a lefty, severely injured his elbow on his throwing arm at the 1967 NCAA Championships in Provo, Utah. During his senior year, O’Donnell had become adept at packing his elbow with ice throughout the season. At the 1968 NCAA Championships in Berkeley, Calif., he led the field after the qualifying round with a toss of 246-1. The ice was packed on to prepare to throw two days later and at the Saturday final O’Donnell came from behind on the fifth throw to win the title with a career and school-record toss of 258-11. O’Donnell received his B.A. in social studies with distinction, with an emphasis in education in June 1968.
