Background
He was born in Healdsburg, California.
He was born in Healdsburg, California.
University of Michigan.
A giant of a man at 6" 5½" and 250 pounds, Rose was the first shot putter to break 50 feet. His world record of 51" 0", set in 1909, lasted for 16 years. A competitor in three Olympic Games, Rose compiled a medal total of three golds, two silver and one bronze.
At the opening ceremony Rose, the United States. flag bearer, refused (supported by a majority of his mostly Irish-descended United States teammates) to dip the flag to the royal box, as other countries did.
Martin Sheridan supposedly explained Rose"s action with the terse statement, "This flag dips to no earthly king." According to legend, this caused acrimony between the United States and Great Britain. Several decisions by British judges went against American athletes during the games, and United States. spokesmen felt they stemmed from bias, caused in part by the flag incident.
However, there is no reliable evidence that the British spectators objected to Rose"s action, nor that Sheridan ever uttered his famous quote, which did not appear in print until 1952. At the 1908 Summer Olympics Rose competed in the tug of war but was not successful.
At the age of 28 he died of typhoid fever, in San Francisco.