Dink Templeton

Dink Templeton

Dink Templeton in 1929
Date of birth	(1897-05-27)May 27, 1897
Place of birth	Helena, Montana, United States
Date of death	August 7, 1962(1962-08-07) (aged 65)
Place of death	Palo Alto, California, United States
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Fullback
Amateur clubs Years Club / team
National team(s) Years Club / team Caps (points) 1920 USA 1 (5)

Dink Templeton

Templeton at the 1920 Olympics
Personal information
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics, rugby union
Event(s)	Long jump, high jump, pole vault, hurdles
Club	Stanford Cardinal
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	LJ – 7.085 m (1920) HJ – 1.935 m (1920) 110 mH – 15.6 (1914)
Medal record Representing the  United States Rugby union Olympic Games 1920 Antwerp Team

Robert Lyman "Dink " Templeton (May 27, 1897 – August 7, 1962) was an American track and field athlete, Olympic gold medalist in rugby union, college football player, and track coach.

Templeton was born in Helena, Montana, and attended Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California. He attended Stanford University, where he played on the football and rugby union teams. He received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford.

In 1920, Templeton was on the United States Olympic team in rugby and the long jump. He was handicapped in his best event, the high jump, because he normally used the Western roll jumping style, which was considered illegal at that time. In the long jump, he finished out of the medals in fourth place, but the U.S. rugby team upset France to win the gold medal.

In 1922, Templeton returned to Stanford as its track coach, a position he held until 1939. During his tenure as coach, Stanford won the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in 1925, 1928, and 1934, and Stanford athletes won 19 individual titles. He was noted at the time for conducting intensive daily practices, an uncommon practice at that time. He later coached at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Templeton also had a career as a journalist and broadcaster. For his coaching, he was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1976, and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his coaching and as a football player.