American pole vaulter, nicknamed “Tarzan” because of his size and strength, who won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympic games and the 1959 Pan American games. Bragg was the last of the great pole vaulters to use an aluminum pole.
From 1954 until 1960, he was always world ranked and capped a championship career in 1960 by setting a world record of 15′ 9¼” (4.80 m) at the Olympic Trials and winning an Olympic gold medal with a vault of 15′ 5″ (4.70 m). He set a world indoor record of 15′ 9½” (4.81 m) at Philadelphia in 1959 and, like Hall of Famer Cornelius Warmerdam, vaulted better indoors than outdoors.
At 1.90 m (6′ 3″) and 89 kg (197 lb), Bragg was one of the largest vaulters in history. He had to stay on a 1,200 calories (5,000 kJ) diet to stay at that weight. Any more and the aluminum alloy poles would crumple under the strain.
He later became athletic director at Stockton State College (N.J.), the owner of a summer camp, and the author of A Chance to Dare: The Don Bragg Story.
His younger sister Diane Bragg also learned how to pole vault by watching her brother. In 1952, long before women were pole vaulting competitively, Diane set the women’s world record that stood for over 25 years.
Bragg died at his home in Northern California from dementia on 16 February 2019, aged 83.
Link to Wikipedia biography