The American giant also secured respective Olympic gold and bronze medals at the Tokyo 1964 and Rome 1960 games.
Dallas Long, the former world record holder in shooting, died at the age of 84.
The American, who stood six feet four inches, set or equaled the world record an incredible seven times, marking a golden era for the U.S. in the event.
Long, who grew up in Arkansas and was coached by Vern Wolf, a coach who produced six Olympic champions, first came to prominence in the 1959 Santa Barbara Easter Relays.
It was here that Long equaled two-time Olympic gold medalist Parry O’Brien’s world record of 19.25m.
O’Brien surpassed that mark later in the year at 19.30m, and Long went further the following season at 19.38m.
Tokyo 1964 (Mark Shearman)
Between 1960 and 1962, Long won three straight NCAA titles and also claimed an Olympic bronze medal in Rome, with Bill Nieder winning the gold medal.
Prior to the Olympics, Nieder and Long held each other’s world records, but just a few years later, the latter dominated the sport.
Not only was Long an Olympic champion at the 1964 Tokyo Games, he also set four world records between 1962 and 1964, increasing the distance of the ball from 20.08m to 20.68m.
After retiring from track and field, Long became a physician and dentist.He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1996.
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