Caprock Chronicles: Pampa's Randy Matson: Texas' best all-around athlete

Editor's Note: Jack Becker is the editor of Caprock Chronicles and Librarian Emertius at Texas Tech University. He can be reached at jack.becker@ttu.edu. Today’s article about famed shot putter Randy Matson is by frequent contributor Chuck Lanehart, Lubbock attorney and award-winning Western history writer.

Under a warm Mexico City sun, a giant of a man stood at the back of a concrete slab, spat at the 16-pound iron ball in his hand, carefully nestled the sphere beneath his right cheek, assumed his stance and paused a few seconds. Suddenly, with a quick, graceful 180-degree turn and a mighty shove, he released the shot put with a thundering “Aaugghh!”

The throw landed 20.54 meters (67’4¾”) away. It was a pretty good effort, he thought, but four feet short of his world record. It was good enough. Minutes later, Randy Matson stood on the winner’s stand as the 1968 Olympic gold medal was draped around his neck. He was a long way from home, the small Texas Panhandle town of Pampa.

Born to Charles and Ellen Matson in 1945, Randy’s first love was baseball, and he was a Little League all-star, but poor eyesight hindered his game. Baseball’s loss was a win for seemingly every other sport in town.

The youngster was big, tall and powerful from an early age, but he was also quick. He competed in track and bested opponents in the sprints, but he was soon drawn to the field events of shot put and discus. By Randy’s junior high years, no one could come close to his throws.

At Pampa High, he participated in football, basketball and track and field. On the gridiron, at fullback, Randy ran 50 yards for a touchdown, helping the Harvesters beat their arch-rival, Amarillo High, and he made the All-District team. In basketball, the six-foot-five center averaged 15 points per game, leading the Green-and-Gold deep into the playoffs. He was twice a hoops All-District selection, All-State his senior year.

Randy’s high school track career was off the charts. He ran the 100-yard dash in 10.2 seconds and was twice state champion in shot put and discus, earning All-State and All-America honors.

In the off-season, Pampa’s Kiwanis Club raised money to send him to track meets in far-flung locations as Randy considered higher education choices.

“He was the most modest kid I’ve ever tried to recruit,” remarked one coach. “A really wonderful person.” Almost 100 colleges offered Pampa’s gentle giant athletic scholarships. Texas Tech basketball coach Gene Gibson quipped years later, “If I hadn’t fed him all those steaks while trying to recruit him, he would never have been big enough to set the records he has.”

Texas A&M offered the opportunity to throw the shot and discus and also play basketball, so Randy became an Aggie. His college career was remarkable. Randy started for basketball coach Shelby Metcalf and dominated almost every shot put and discus competition.

When his nose was not in a textbook, Randy worked on a weight training program to add bulk and power to his rangy six-foot-seven-inch frame, growing to 230 pounds.

At an indoor meet at Lubbock’s Municipal Coliseum, Randy left 50-foot throws behind him, launching the shot just over 60 feet, followed by similar efforts elsewhere. It was the beginning of multiple world-shattering records.

Following the end of the semester, the Pampa Health Club became Randy’s base of operations. There, he lifted weights in preparation for the 1964 Olympic trials, and in the evenings, cars circled the Pampa High practice field where he worked out.

Randy easily made the Olympic team and traveled to Tokyo, where the 19-year-old won silver with a 66’3¼” heave. Gold-medalist Dallas Long said, “Randy has everything—strength, timing, poise, and a great competitive spirit. I’m glad I got my gold medal this time because it’s going to be his to win four years from now.”

“I hope you’re right,” Randy said, grinning.

As he returned to dominate college competition, a rival coach said, “One of these days, Matson will peel off his warmup and underneath it he’ll have on a cape with a big S on his chest. Then he’ll fly away and we’ll all wonder if we really saw him.”

On a spring day in 1965, the now 265-pound superhero heaved the shot at the Southwest Conference Championship. The official measurement was a world record 70’7¼”, three feet better than the old mark, recognized as the top performance in world track history.

After winning gold in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Randy was drafted by NFL football and NBA basketball teams, but he declined, briefly flirting with proposed professional track leagues. He narrowly missed qualifying for the 1972 Olympics.

Returning to A&M, he spent the balance of his career as executive director of the Association of Former Students. Randy retired in 2007. He and high-school sweetheart Margaret Burns have three children and six grandchildren.

Randy was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, National Sports Hall of Fame and National Track and Field Hall of Fame, among other honors. Those who would claim Randy Matson of Pampa was not Texas’ best all-around athlete are surely wrong.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Caprock Chronicles: Pampa's Randy Matson: Texas' best all-around athlete