Dave Wottle
Wottle (right) at the 1972 Olympics
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| Personal information | ||||||||||
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||
| Born |
August 7, 1950 Canton, Ohio |
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| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) | |||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||
| Sport | Track | |||||||||
| Event(s) | 800 meters, 1500 meters, Mile | |||||||||
| College team | Bowling Green | |||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||
| Personal best(s) |
800 meters: 1:44.3 1500 meters: 3:36.2 Mile: 3:53.3 |
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Medal record
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David "Dave" James Wottle (born August 7, 1950) is a retired American middle-distance track athlete. He was the gold medalist in the 800 meter run at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He was known for wearing a golf cap while running.
Dave Wottle was born in Canton, Ohio. During his childhood he was very slim and feeble. His family doctor told him that he needed to do something, such as running, to strengthen himself. The young boy took this advice and started to run.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in History from Bowling Green State University in 1973. Competing for the university, he finished second to Marty Liquori in the mile run at the 1970 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. During the 1971 season Wottle was hampered by injuries, but a year later in 1972 he won the 1,500 meter race at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and at the 1973 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships he won the mile run in a time of 3:57.1, an NCAA record that still stands. (1975 was the last year the mile was contested at the NCAA's outdoor meet.)
Leading up to the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, Wottle won the AAU 800 meter title before equaling the world record over 800 meters of 1:44.3 at the US Olympic Trials.
At the Olympics, in the Olympic 800 meter final, Wottle immediately dropped to the rear of the field, and stayed there for the first 500 m, at which point he started to pass runner after runner up the final straight. He seized the lead in the final stretch to beat pre-race favorite Yevgeny Arzhanov of the Soviet Union by just 0.03 seconds. This gained him the nickname of "The Head Waiter". (Another nickname was "Wottle the Throttle"). Stunned by his victory, Wottle forgot to remove his cap on the podium during the national anthem. This was interpreted by some as a form of protest, but Wottle later apologized at the news conference following the medals ceremony. He also competed in the 1500 meter run at the Munich Olympics, but he was eliminated in the semi-finals.
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