Auburn's century of Olympic excellence

AUBURN, Ala. – From Percy Beard’s silver medal in hurdles in 1932 to Suni Lee’s all-around gymnastics gold nearly a century later, Auburn boosts a rich Olympic history.

Thirty-three Auburn Tigers have combined to win 59 Olympic medals, including Harvey Glance, who in 1976 won Auburn’s first gold in the 400m relay in Montreal. 

"Harvey Glance was certainly a trailblazer," said Auburn track and field head coach and fellow Olympic gold medalist Leroy Burrell. "He ushered American sprinting into the latter part of the twentieth century where we really started to dominate. Harvey led that pack."

Kirsty Coventry’s seven medals for Zimbabwe lead the way for Auburn’s Olympians, more than twice as many as the next closest Tigers. 

“Getting a scholarship to come to Auburn was the biggest thing that could have ever happened to my swimming career," Coventry said in 2016 before competing in her fifth Olympiad. 

"Being a part of the team and being an Auburn Tiger, learning how to be in a group of people who have the same goals, who work hard. And just the ethics of the group, led by David (Marsh), that changed my whole outlook.

"From a little kid, I always wanted to go to the Olympic games. I remember telling my mom and dad when I was 9, `I'm going to go to the Olympics. I want to win a medal.' Coming to Auburn and knowing that that was the right decision to help that dream come true.

"That level of professionalism, even in an amateur sport, was just seen every day, and it completely turned my career around. It was a huge role.”

Lee, with three medals in Tokyo in 2021, has a chance to narrow Coventry’s Auburn medal lead in Paris. 

"At the Olympics we had to come together as a team," Lee said after arriving at Auburn in 2021, soon after winning a bronze medal on uneven bars and helping the United States earn the team silver medal in addition to her all-around gold. "The team atmosphere here is already really good. When you're here, it's team all the time and you have a lot of people behind you."

Other Tigers with a trio of Olympic medals include swimmers Rowdy Gaines, Cesar Cielo, Margaret Hoelzer, Per Johansson and Matt Targett, and track and field’s Kerron Stewart. 

Two Auburn basketball legends have each won a pair of gold medals. Charles Barkley in 1992 and 1996, and Ruthie Bolton in 1996 and 2000. 

"Because I believed, it propelled me into the highest level of basketball,” Bolton said. “For that, I'm thankful. This place is a foundation. This is where the pedigree of who I became started. That experience at Auburn changed my life forever.”

A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and former NBA MVP, Barkley always ranked his Olympic Deam Team experiences as the pinnacle of his career, that is until his alma mater reached the Final Four in 2019.

"Probably my greatest sports experience," Barkley said. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think Auburn would ever make it to the Final Four. I'll never forget that day. That was an amazing accomplishment."

Auburn’s Olympic tradition began in Amsterdam in 1928 with Snitz Snider competing in the 400m in track and field, and Wilbur Hutsell coaching. Percy Beard, the brother of former Auburn athletics director Jeff Beard, claimed Auburn’s first medal four years later in 110m hurdles.

Swimmers, with 51 Olympians, and track and field, with 48, represent Auburn’s most successful sports throughout the Tigers’ 96-year Olympic history, an era that continues July 26 – Aug. 11 in Paris.  

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer