Ken Bantum was a three-time All-American in track and field, and was the first-ever student-athlete to eclipse the 60-foot mark in the shot put, as his heave of 60-1 was the top mark at the 1956 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Bantum would go on to compete at the 1956 Helsinki Olympics, before placing second in the 1957 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put and sixth in the discus.