Sport: Athletics

Hometown: Pampa, TX

Biography: Randy Matson was born March 5, 1945, in Kilgore, Texas. At 6-7 and 245 pounds, Randy Matson is one of the biggest Hall of Fame members. He first achieved international stature as a teenager in 1964 when as a freshman at Texas A&M, he won the first of his six National AAU shot put titles. Later that year, he finished second to Dallas Long, also a Hall of Famer, at the Olympic Games and in 1965 became the first man to throw the shot 70 feet with an effort of 70-7 1/4. He again broke the world record in 1967 with 71-5 1/4, his career best, and in 1968 won the Olympic gold medal. He barely missed making the 1972 Olympic team when he placed fourth at the Trials. A four-time national collegiate champion in both the shot and discus, he also played basketball in college. Matson won the 1967 Sullivan Award, which goes to the nation's top collegiate or Olympic athlete. He was also drafted by teams in the NFL and NBA but turned down offers from both.