 He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles where he won the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1956 (tied) and 1957.He set the World Record in the pole vault on April 27, 1957.Later in 1957 he cleared the highest height ever cleared with a "straight" pole at 15'9.75" though that mark was never ratified as a World Record because the pole passed under the bar.