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View Full Version : RIP: Joel Shankle



diablesseblu
04-14-2015, 10:26 PM
Two of my early Duke heroes were track stars -- Joel Shankle and Dave Sime. Wanted to be sure people didn't miss Mr. Shankle's story/passing.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=210020594

TKG
04-15-2015, 06:27 AM
Didn't know much about Mr. Shankle but knew Mr. Sime was a stud!

Thanks fo sharing.

53n206
04-15-2015, 10:58 AM
Remember Joel well and he really was great!

Olympic Fan
04-15-2015, 02:25 PM
Shankle deserves to be remembered -- a multi-event monster in the days when dual track meets were big deals ... an Olympic Bronze Medal winner and the first ACC athlete of the year (in 1954).

Pretty sure he was involved in the historic connection between Al Buehler and North Carolina Central track coach Leroy Walker. Shankle and NCCU's Lee Calhoun were two of the top hurdlers in the world. They finished first and third in the 1956 Olympic hurdles (actually the USA had a 1-2-3 sweep in the event).

They met and worked together, leading Buehler to offer Walker the use of Duke's facilities for his kids. The Bueher-Walker friendship has a huge impact on track and field in this country ... Believe Walker ended up the coach of the 1976 Olympic Track and Field team (and head of the USOC for the Atlanta Games), while Buehler was the manager of the '76 Olympic Games. They brought a half-dozen world class track events to Durham.

Shankle and Dave Sime were the two great track stars at Duke in the '50s ...