A native of Brighton, Mass., Connolly won 12 national titles in the hammer throw as Boston College Eagle. Two years after his graduation in 1953, he became the first American to surpass the 200-foot mark in the event. He made an unlikely rise to international fame when he won the gold medal in the hammer throw competition at the Melbourne Olympic Games a year later. The four-time Olympian held the world record in the event from Nov. 2, 1956 until Sept. 4, 1965, progressing the mark on six different occasions. Connolly reigned as the U.S. Track and Field Association champion in the event for seven consecutive years from 1955-61 and reclaimed the crown in 1964 and 1965. He is the last American to win gold in the hammer throw and just one of two to medal in the event in 54 years.
Class: 1948 Inducted: 1995