Career
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Sitzberger was trailing United States teammate Frank Gorman after nine of the ten dives in the springboard competition at the 1964 Olympics, but Gorman performed poorly on his last dive and Sitzberger was nearly flawless, winning the gold medal. He died under rather mysterious circumstances in Coronado, California. He was brought to a hospital unconscious and died shortly afterward.
Acting on the release of the coroner"s report, San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Bob Blum said that there was no criminal cause in the death of Mr.
Sitzberger. The Coronado police said Mr. Sitzberger twice picked fights with another man at the party, and in the second scuffle he struck his head, probably on a couch.
He died of a brain hemorrhage the next morning, according to the coroner"s report. The guest refused to fight, witnesses said.
Mr. Sitzberger appeared uninjured after he fell, but he went to bed complaining of a headache and apparently died in his sleep.
Because Sitzberger had been subpoenaed as a federal witness in a cocaine-trafficking case, police investigated his death further, but discovered no evidence of foul play.