Jack Torrance (athlete)
| No. 34 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tackle | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth: | June 20, 1912 | ||
| Place of birth: | Oak Grove, Louisiana | ||
| Date of death: | November 10, 1969 (aged 57) | ||
| Place of death: | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||
| Weight: | 285 lb (129 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Oak Grove (LA) | ||
| College: | LSU | ||
| Career history | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
| Player stats at NFL.com |
John "Jack" Torrance (June 20, 1912 – November 10, 1969) was an American shot putter and American football player. Torrance broke the shot put world record several times in 1934, his eventual best mark of 17.40 m remaining unbeaten until 1948. At the 1936 Summer Olympics he placed fifth.
Torrance studied at Louisiana State University, competing for the LSU Tigers in a variety of sports and events. Although shot put was his best event, he was also a good discus thrower, football player and basketball player. In 1933, his junior year, he won his first NCAA championship in the shot, throwing a meet record 16.10 m (52 ft 10 in) to beat his challengers by more than two feet. In addition, he placed third in the discus. LSU won the NCAA team title that year, narrowly beating favored University of Southern California. Torrance also won the national championship in the shot that year, throwing 15.68 m (51 ft 4 7⁄8 in) to beat Stanford's Gordon Dunn and John Lyman. His winning mark at the NCAAs was the best in the world that year and only four inches short of František Douda's world record of 16.20 m.
Torrance reached his peak in 1934, becoming the world's leading shot putter. His main rival that year was John Lyman. Torrance broke Douda's world record in Lafayette on March 24, throwing 16.30 m (53 ft 6 in). Lyman tied that mark on April 14 and then threw 16.48 m (54 ft 3⁄4 in) on April 21, setting a new world record. However, that record lasted for only six days as Torrance improved to 16.80 m (55 ft 1 1⁄2 in) at the Drake Relays. In May, he reached 17.19 m (56 ft 5 in) in an unofficial exhibition.
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