Colorado's Own Michael Phelps

As Americans marvel at the athletic feats of Michael Phelps this summer, Coloradoans can lay claim to another young athlete who once broke world records while participating in a controversial Olympiad.

Colorado resident Glenn Morris awed millions in 1936, when, at age 24, he broke the decathlon world record at the Berlin Olympics. Coming from the small farming community of Simla, Morris' rise to worldwide fame - and his eventual tumble - was nothing short of stellar.

Born in 1912, Morris was raised on a farm on Colorado's eastern plains. The second of seven children, Morris was in top athletic shape after years of working in the fields when he arrived at Simla High School, where he was a standout in football, basketball, and track and field.

His athletic success continued in college, when he left for Colorado Agricultural College in Fort Collins - now Colorado State University - in 1930. Lettering in football, basketball and track, Morris set his sights on the decathlon - a ten-event track and field competition - after watching the event at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

After graduating college, he trained with the Denver Athletic Club and qualified for the 1936 Berlin games. Despite catching a cold and gaining a few pounds on the ship crossing to Germany, Morris went on to deliver a record-shattering performance at Adolf Hitler's Olympics.

The 24-year-old Morris ran the 1,500-meter in 4 minutes and 33 seconds, breaking the world record of 4 minutes and 35 seconds and turned in a total score of 7,900 points in the decathlon - a world and Olympic record. His record stood until 1950, when it was broken by fellow American Bob Mathias.

Morris also received attention off the field while in Berlin. Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler's favorite documentary maker who produced several pro-Nazi films during his reign, began an affair with the runner during the games.

In her memoir Riefenstahl claims that Morris, during his gold medal presentation ceremony, descended the podium, ripped open her blouse and kissed her breasts in front of the entire stadium. Their love affair continued after the games, until Riefenstahl broke things off with him after a graphologist analyzed Morris' handwriting and told her he was a sadistic, uneven individual.

Morris had plenty of love waiting for him upon his return to America, though. He was greeted with a ticker tape parade in New York, followed by an even bigger celebration in Colorado, where the governor proclaimed Sept. 9, 1936 Glenn Morris Day. Schools closed for the day, and Morris rode in a motorcade down Denver's 16^th Street, which received national coverage on NBC.

But things didn't stay rosy for long. Morris married his college sweetheart, a teacher from Sterling, only to have the union fall apart in three years. He moved to California to pursue a career as an actor but, after receiving brutal reviews for his role as Tarzan in the B-movie "Tarzan's Revenge," he gave up. A professional football career with the Detroit Lions also fell apart after Morris suffered a season ending injury in 1940.

After dabbling in a variety of jobs, Morris enlisted in the Navy and served in the South Pacific during World War II. But, after returning home, Morris suffered a variety of health problems and shell shock and, some believe, became an alcoholic.

He faded from the scene, living mostly in veteran's hospitals around California. When he was inducted into Colorado's Sports Hall of Fame in 1969, he was too sick to attend the ceremony.

In 1974, Morris died of congestive heart failure at the Burlingame Veteran's Hospital in California. He was just 61 years old.

After his death, Morris continued to receive accolades for his life's achievements, including becoming one of the first to be listed on the Decathlon Association's Decathlon Roll of Honor. Most of his memorabilia - including his gold medal - is now located in a vault at Simla High School.

SOURCES:

http://www.ourjourney.info/HeritageStories/FormerSimlaAthlete.asp

http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/glennmorris.html

http://www.erbzine.com/mag6/0619.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=zkAMU-vzXyMC&pg=PA199&lpg=PA199&dq=Glenn+Morris+Leni+Riefenstahl&source=web&ots=sX-2Jb7kx9&sig=egLuZ-DoFEUN1SsFQO66ol_0x5g&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result