Hall of Honor
“Vince” Strawbridge enrolled at Beloit as a member of the Class of 1944 with outstanding athletic credentials from Green Valley (IL) High School, where he earned 11 letters in four sports. World War II interrupted his promising collegiate career after he had placed in the javelin in the Beloit Relays, Midwest Conference, and state meets. A South Pacific combat marine who was awarded five Purple Hearts, he returned to civilian life and the campus to gain his greatest fame as a “spear thrower.” Strawbridge won both the Conference and Relays javelin events in 1946 and 1947, with his Relays of effort of 194 feet 7 ½ inches as a senior establishing a record which eclipsed the former mark by 13 feet and which withstood all challenges until 1959. His performances qualified him for the 1947 NCAA meet at the University of Utah, where he placed ninth. As a senior, he was also a football lineman and captain of both the wrestling and track squads. After college, he continued to compete in recreational softball and basketball. A resident of Lakeland, Florida, for the past three decades, Strawbridge owns and operates a construction company engaged in residential housing and development.
