Irving Folwartshny

American hammer thrower and weight thrower (1914–1994)

Irving Henry "Shorty" Folsworth (born Folwartshny; March 16, 1914 – July 27, 1994) was an American hammer thrower and weight thrower. He was a seven-time United States champion and briefly held the indoor world record in men's weight throw.

## Biography[edit]

Like his fellow hammer thrower Don Favor, Irving Folwartshny was an alumnus of Deering High School in Portland, Maine.[1][2] Subsequently, he studied at Rhode Island State College, where Fred Tootell, 1924 Olympic hammer throw champion, was track and field coach;[3] Tootell's other pupils included Henry Dreyer and Bill Rowe, both of whom also became national hammer throw champions.[3]

Folwartshny placed fourth in the 35-lb weight throw at the 1935 national indoor championships,[4] but his breakthrough year was 1936, his sophomore year at Rhode Island, when his results improved rapidly.[1][4] At the 1936 indoor championships he won the weight throw with a heave of 58 ft 1+1⁄2 in (17.71 m), defeating Dreyer and Pete Zaremba and breaking Dreyer's world record by four and a half inches;[5][6] as a world record Folwartshny's throw was short-lived, as Dreyer threw 58 ft 4+1⁄2 in (17.79 m) only seven days later;[7] but as a championship record it lasted until 1951.[8][9]

During the 1936 outdoor season Folwartshny repeatedly threw the hammer over 170 ft (51.81 m), smashing his 1935 best of 156 ft (47.55 m).[1] He won the IC4A hammer championship with a throw of 172 ft 9+3⁄8 in (52.66 m), ahead of Bates's Anton Kishon and Rowe.[10] At the national championships Folwartshny threw 167 ft 1⁄4 in (50.90 m) and took second behind Rowe;[11] like his fellow Rhode Island throwers Rowe and Dreyer, he was one of the favorites to qualify for the American Olympic team.[4] The Olympic Trials, however, were held separately from the national championships for the first time since 1924;[12] at the Trials, Dreyer and Rowe took first and second, but the third and final Olympic spot went to Don Favor as Folwartshny only managed 157 ft 3+1⁄4 in (47.93 m) and placed sixth.[12]

In 1937 Folwartshny won his second national indoor weight throw title with a throw of 57 ft 4+3⁄4 in (17.49 m), again defeating Dreyer.[8][13] He also won the IC4A indoor weight throw[14] and successfully defended his outdoor IC4A hammer title.[15] In addition, he became national (AAU) outdoor champion for the first time, throwing the hammer 173 ft 7+5⁄8 in (52.92 m) and beating runner-up Bill Lynch by seven feet.[11]

In 1938 Folwartshny repeated as AAU and IC4A weight throw champion indoors and reached his peak as a hammer thrower outdoors.[8][16] He won his third consecutive IC4A hammer title with a throw of 178 ft 9+3⁄4 in (54.50 m),[17] then the second-best mark in IC4A history behind his own coach, Fred Tootell, who had thrown 181 ft 6+1⁄2 in (55.33 m) when he won in 1923.[18][19] Folwartshny also repeated as AAU hammer champion, throwing 179 ft 3 in (54.63 m) in that meet; it was the best throw at the national championships since Pat Ryan's meeting record of 183 ft 3+3⁄4 in (55.87 m) from 1914.[11] After the American season Folwartshny toured Europe with a number of other athletes;[20] he set his personal best of 56.17 m (184 ft 3+3⁄8 in) in Osnabrück on August 21, although he still only placed second to Germany's reigning Olympic champion Karl Hein.[21][22]

Like Dreyer before him, Folwartshny represented the New York Athletic Club after graduating from Rhode Island State.[23] Dreyer dethroned him as indoor weight throw champion in 1939,[24] and Folwartshny also lost his outdoor hammer title that year, only placing fourth with a throw of 169 ft 9+3⁄4 in (51.75 m) as Chester Cruikshank won.[11] Folwartshny never regained the weight throw championship,[8] but did win the hammer title again in 1941, throwing 175 ft 6+1⁄8 in (53.49 m) and defeating the previous year's champion, fellow Maine native Stanley Johnson, by almost three feet.[11][25] Folwartshny anglicized his surname to Folsworth before the 1944 national indoor championships, where he took second behind Dreyer in the weight throw.[23] As Folsworth, he won the AAU hammer title for a fourth and final time in 1946, throwing 169 ft 8 in (51.71 m); it was the eleventh consecutive time he had placed in the top four.[11] The streak ended that year, however, as he no longer placed in 1947; Folsworth retired from competition before the 1948 season, not pursuing selection for the Olympics in London.[2]

Folsworth earned his living as a construction engineer, and as sales engineer and corporate vice president of Grinding Inc. in Connecticut.[2][26]

### Size[edit]

Despite his nickname "Shorty", Folwartshny was tall and bulky even by the standards of heavy throwers, and the press described him as a "giant".[27][28][29] Listed as 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) and 225 lbs (102 kg) as a collegiate sophomore in 1936,[4] Folwartshny continued to bulk up, weighing 262 lbs (119 kg) by 1947.[30] The Association of Track and Field Statisticians gives his height as 200 cm (6 ft 7 in).[21]

## Legacy[edit]

Folsworth was inducted in the University of Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973, in the same class as Rowe and Dreyer,[26] and in the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1981, in the same class as Favor.[31]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Olympic Hammer Competition Keen". The Bates Student. May 26, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
2. ^ a b c "Irving Folsworth". Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
3. ^ a b "Hammer Thrower". Oakland Tribune. July 16, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
4. ^ a b c d Johns, Walter (March 6, 1936). "Olympic Roll Call" (PDF). The Herald Statesman. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
5. ^ "Portland Boy Hangs Up New Weight Record". Lewiston Daily Sun. February 22, 1936. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
6. ^ "Folwartshny Adds Inches to Record". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 23, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
7. ^ "Round the Sports Calendar - 1936 Chronology" (PDF). Gloversville Morning Herald. December 31, 1936. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
8. ^ a b c d "USA Indoor Track & Field Champions – Men's 35-lb. Weight Throw". USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
9. ^ "Bane Of Tufts Sets 35-Pound Weight Record". Portland Press Herald. February 18, 1951. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
10. ^ "Cornell Alumni News" (PDF). Cornell University. June 4, 1936. p. 513. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
11. ^ a b c d e f Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
12. ^ a b Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
13. ^ "Folwartshny Keeps 30-Pound Shot Put Title" (PDF). Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 28, 1937. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
14. ^ Dunbar, Glenn S. (March 15, 1937). "Sidelines". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
15. ^ "Saturday's Sport Summaries". The Cornell Daily Sun. May 31, 1937. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
16. ^ "Columbia Wins I.C.4-A. Pennant, As Ben Johnson Leads Scoring". Columbia Daily Spectator. March 7, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
17. ^ "I.C.4-A. Won By Trojans, Bears Third". Berkeley Daily Gazette. June 4, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
18. ^ "Southern Cal Takes I.C.4-A". The San Bernardino County Sun. June 5, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
19. ^ "Javelin and Hammer Throw Records Shattered in Trial Events of Intercollegiates" (PDF). The Pennsylvanian. May 26, 1923. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
20. ^ "U. S. Stars Sail Tonight". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 26, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
21. ^ a b All-Time List As At 31 December 1945, Association of Track and Field Statisticians
22. ^ "U.S. Trackmen Still Cleaning Up in Europe". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 22, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
23. ^ a b Richardson, William D. (February 27, 1944). "Dodds Gains Title With 4:08.3 Mile At National Meet". The New York Times.
24. ^ "Cunningham 1500-Meter National Winner in 3:54.6" (PDF). Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 26, 1939. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
25. ^ "Hammer Throwing A Specialty In Maine". Lewiston Evening Journal. July 14, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
26. ^ a b "University of Rhode Island Athletic Hall of Fame". GoRhody.com. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
27. ^ "Cunningham's Mile in 4:04.4 Track Feature" (PDF). Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 25, 1938. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
28. ^ "Lions Win I.C.4-A. Crown As Stars Take Five Titles Before 15,000 at Garden". Columbia Daily Spectator. March 15, 1937. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
29. ^ "Sports Snacks". Lewiston Daily Sun. May 31, 1937. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
30. ^ "Felton Ranked Nation's Best Hammer Thrower". The Harvard Crimson. June 9, 1948. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
31. ^ "Maine Sports Hall of Fame". Bangor Daily News. May 31, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2014.

* v
* t
* e

US National Championship winners in men's hammer throw

1876–1878
New York Athletic Club|

* 1876: William Curtis
* 1877: George Parmly
* 1878: William Curtis

1879–1888 – NAAAA|

* 1879: James McDermott
* 1880: William Curtis
* 1881-2: Frank Lambrecht
* 1883: Wilson Coudon
* 1884-5: Frank Lambrecht
* 1886: Wilson Coudon
* 1887: Charles Queckberner
* 1888Note 1: Frank Lambrecht

1888–1979
Amateur Athletic Union|

* 1888Note 1: William Barry
* 1889–96: James Mitchel
* 1897-9: John Flanagan
* 1900: Rich. Sheridan
* 1901-2: John Flanagan
* 1903: James Mitchel
* 1904-5: Alfred Plaw
* 1906-7: John Flanagan
* 1908: Matt McGrath
* 1909: Lee Talbott
* 1910: Matt McGrath
* 1911: Con Walsh
* 1912: Matt McGrath
* 1913-7: Pat Ryan
* 1918: Matt McGrath
* 1919–21OT: Pat Ryan
* 1922: Matt McGrath
* 1923-4: Fred Tootell
* 1925-6: Matt McGrath
* 1927: Jack Merchant
* 1928OT: Edmund Black
* 1929: Jack Merchant
* 1930: Norwood Wright
* 1931: Ed Flanagan
* 1932OT: Frank Conner
* 1933: Pat O'Callaghan
* 1934: Donald Favor
* 1935: Henry Dreyer
* 1936: William Rowe
* 1937-8: Irving Folwartshny
* 1939: Chester Cruikshank
* 1940: Stanley Johnson
* 1941: Irving Folwartshny
* 1942: Chester Cruikshank
* 1943-5: Henry Dreyer
* 1946: Irving Folwartshny
* 1947-8: Bob Bennett
* 1949–51: Samuel Felton
* 1952: Tom Bane
* 1953: Marty Engel
* 1954: Bob Backus
* 1955–61: Hal Connolly
* 1962-3: Albert Hall
* 1964-5: Hal Connolly
* 1966-8: Ed Burke
* 1969: Tom Gage
* 1970-1: George Frenn
* 1972: Al Schoterman
* 1973: Ted Bregar
* 1974: Steve DeAutremont
* 1975: Boris Djerassi
* 1976: Larry Hart
* 1977: Emmitt Berry
* 1978: Boris Djerassi
* 1979: Scott Neilson
* 1980: Giampaolo Urlando

1980–1992
The Athletics Congress|

* 1981: Richard Olsen
* 1982-3: Dave McKenzie
* 1984-5: Jud Logan
* 1986: Bill Green
* 1987: Jud Logan
* 1988: Ken Flax
* 1989: Lance Deal
* 1990: Ken Flax
* 1991-2OT: Jud Logan

1993-onwards
USA Track & Field|

* 1993-6OT: Lance Deal
* 1997: Kevin McMahon
* 1998–2000OT: Lance Deal
* 2001: Kevin McMahon
* 2002: Lance Deal
* 2003-5: James Parker
* 2006-9: A. G. Kruger
* 2010: Jake Freeman
* 2011-2: Kibwé Johnson
* 2013: A. G. Kruger
* 2014-5: Kibwé Johnson
* 2016: Rudy Winkler
* 2017: Alex Young
* 2018: Rudy Winkler
* 2019: Conor McCullough
* 20212020 OT: Rudy Winkler

Notes|

* Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships

* OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.

* 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

* v
* t
* e

US National Indoor Championship winners in men's 35-lb weight throw

1932-1979
Amateur Athletic Union|

* 1932: Leo Sexton
* 1933: Mort Reznick
* 1934–35: Henry Dreyer
* 1936–38: Irving Folwartshny
* 1939: Henry Dreyer
* 1940: Niles Perkins
* 1941–47: Henry Dreyer
* 1948: Bob Bennett
* 1949: Samuel Felton
* 1950: Gil Borjeson
* 1951: Tom Bane
* 1952: Gil Borjeson
* 1953: Steve Dillon
* 1954–59: Bob Backus
* 1960: Hal Connolly
* 1961: Bob Backus
* 1962–64: Albert Hall
* 1965–66: Hal Connolly
* 1967–68: Ed Burke
* 1969: Albert Hall
* 1970–73: George Frenn
* 1974: Jacques Accambray (FRA)
* 1975: George Frenn
* 1976: Larry Hart
* 1977: George Frenn
* 1978–79: Ed Kania

1980-1992
The Athletics Congress|

* 1980–82: Ed Kania
* 1983: Robert Weir (GBR)
* 1984–86: Jud Logan
* 1987: Lance Deal
* 1988: Walter Ciofani (FRA)
* 1989–92: Lance Deal

1993-onwards
USA Track & Field|

* 1993–96: Lance Deal
* 1997: Jud Logan
* 1998–2000: Lance Deal
* 2001–02: John McEwen
* 2003: A. G. Kruger
* 2004: James Parker
* 2005–07: A. G. Kruger
* 2008: Kibwé Johnson
* 2009–10: A. G. Kruger
* 2011: Jake Freeman
* 2012: A. G. Kruger
* 2013: Jake Freeman
* 2014–15: A. G. Kruger
* 2016: Colin Dunbar
* 2020: Conor McCullough

Records

Preceded by

Henry Dreyer

|  World record holder in men's 35-lb indoor weight throw
22 February 1936 – 29 February 1936  | Succeeded by

Henry Dreyer
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