Like many athletes of the past, Robert (Bib)
Evans envied modern sports stars for their excellent
equipment and training facilities. The former Zelienople High School
and Geneva College track star wondered if he might have made the
1936 Olympics if things had been different. “I graduated from Geneva
in 1934 at the heart of the Great Depression,” Robert recalled. “We
had to worry about making a living then, and I didn’t have a chance
to train properly during the next two years.” Nevertheless Robert
competed as much as he could. After graduating from college, he
competed in the 1934 National Championships in Milwaukee. His
specialty was the 440 yard hurdles, where he placed second to Glenn
Hardin, who eventually won the gold medal in the 1936 Berlin
Olympics. Hardin set a world record in the Milwaukee race, and Robert
tied the former world mark. At the 1936 Olympics Trials, Robert was
handicapped by an old metatarsal problem and did not qualify. But
his track activities game him a chance to know Jesse Owens well, and
Robert had the highest praise for the famous sprinter: “He just
seemed to float on the air as he ran.” In addition to starring in
track at Zelienople, Robert also was outstanding in football and
basketball. After graduation in 1929 he entered Geneva where he
played four years of football and two years of basketball. While at
Geneva he competed in the Penn Relays in 1932, 1933, and 1934,
placing second each time in the 440 yard hurdles.
Like many athletes of the past, Robert (Bib)
Evans envied modern sports stars for their excellent
equipment and training facilities. The former Zelienople High School
and Geneva College track star wondered if he might have made the
1936 Olympics if things had been different. “I graduated from Geneva
in 1934 at the heart of the Great Depression,” Robert recalled. “We
had to worry about making a living then, and I didn’t have a chance
to train properly during the next two years.” Nevertheless Robert
competed as much as he could. After graduating from college, he
competed in the 1934 National Championships in Milwaukee. His
specialty was the 440 yard hurdles, where he placed second to Glenn
Hardin, who eventually won the gold medal in the 1936 Berlin
Olympics. Hardin set a world record in the Milwaukee race, and Robert
tied the former world mark. At the 1936 Olympics Trials, Robert was
handicapped by an old metatarsal problem and did not qualify. But
his track activities game him a chance to know Jesse Owens well, and
Robert had the highest praise for the famous sprinter: “He just
seemed to float on the air as he ran.” In addition to starring in
track at Zelienople, Robert also was outstanding in football and
basketball. After graduation in 1929 he entered Geneva where he
played four years of football and two years of basketball. While at
Geneva he competed in the Penn Relays in 1932, 1933, and 1934,
placing second each time in the 440 yard hurdles.