RIP Brian Oldfield

Correction: played Mongo in They Call Me Macho Woman, as noted above..

Some other world-class thrower from the 1970s-1980s had a cameo role in Personal Best.

A real character with a pr from the professional circuit of 75' (22.86m) in 1975 and still threw 72'9" at 38 for an American record. His website has some very entertaining stories that he told.

Heard from reputable witnesses in the 1970's that Oldfield was throwing the shot at the old University of Chicago fieldhouse. Threw the shot past the measuring area and hit the fieldhouse wall. Not out of bounds either.

Oldfield deserves headlines on this website. Not a message board thread.

asdfdgjdfgrg wrote:

They call me macho woman!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098467/

Brian was a friend. I met him at Powell's throwing camp held in town each summer. Over a few pops Brian related this story about this movie.

Brian was asked by the director to shave his head to look more menacing and he did.

Sexy Girl: "I can't believe you cut your beautiful blond curly hair."

Brian: Getting close and whispering, "You do know that hair grows back don't you?"

Girl: "Ohhhhh, well, I guess it does."

Brian: As a new friend let me tell you, looking like you do, it might make your life much easier in the future if you limited talking."

just the facts wrote:

asdfdgjdfgrg wrote:

They call me macho woman!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098467/

Brian was a friend. I met him at Powell's throwing camp held in town each summer. Over a few pops Brian related this story about this movie.

Brian was asked by the director to shave his head to look more menacing and he did.

Sexy Girl: "I can't believe you cut your beautiful blond curly hair."

Brian: Getting close and whispering, "You do know that hair grows back don't you?"

Girl: "Ohhhhh, well, I guess it does."

Brian: As a new friend let me tell you, looking like you do, it might make your life much easier in the future if you limited talking."

Nothing you have described tells me much of anything about the intelligence of the girl.

Teddike wrote:

Nothing you have described tells me much of anything about the intelligence of the girl.

Go to the thread on the Macho Woman movie and anything you want should be there.

he could dunk a 16lb shot

It is almost certain he was as doped up as most of his top level competitors. He was exciting and crazy.

I am somewhat surprised he lasted this long. RIP

I thought about this too. He was probably the most charismatic Field athlete ever, and freakishly talented. But this is letsRUN. At least a link in the news would seem appropriate. The sport of Track & Field needs more guys/gals like him.

Wags Illinois wrote:

Heard from reputable witnesses in the 1970's that Oldfield was throwing the shot at the old University of Chicago fieldhouse. Threw the shot past the measuring area and hit the fieldhouse wall. Not out of bounds either.

Oldfield deserves headlines on this website. Not a message board thread.

Rp wrote:

It is almost certain he was as doped up as most of his top level competitors. He was exciting and crazy.

I am somewhat surprised he lasted this long. RIP

At the 72 Trials they put the athletes in the student dorms, friend of mine was a few rooms down the hall from Oldfield, whom he said, went on a rager the night before the shot final (roids?) Drinking and yelling and then he lifted the steel, cement filled fire door off the hinges and tipped it over, just for the hell of it.

His family claimed his late in life health problems were due to some sort of congenital, arthritis type condition.

Here is the obit http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/olympic-shot-putter-brian-oldfield-of-elgin-dies-at-71/

Brian Oldfield's Visitation is planned from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Wait Ross Allanson Funeral & Cremation Services Chapel in Elgin, where a funeral service is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday. Burial is to follow at Bluff City Cemetery.

Great read on the story of his life. RIP

At one of the USTFCCCA conventions, Harry Groves tole me a few stories about Oldfield from one of the international teams they were both on. Seems as though taking Brian to Russia during the cold war for a meet, in retrospect, may not have been the best idea!