Background
Lawrence was born in the Sydney suburb of Punchbowl.
Lawrence was born in the Sydney suburb of Punchbowl.
University of Houston.
He was a bronze medal for Australia in the 1956 Summer Olympics. He also qualified for the 5,000 metre final, but did not compete due to a strained leg muscle. Two years later, he came to the University of Houston to run for the Cougars.
In 1960, he set a world indoor two-mile record with 8:46.
At the 1960 Olympic games in Rome, he placed fourth in the 5,000 metre heats, did not finish the 10,000 metres and placed a disappointing 54th in the marathon in 2:37. Lawrence returned to America where he became an American citizen in the early 1980s.
He formed the First Rate (at Lloyd's) Lawrence Running Club in Houston, which remains strong today.