A Big Man With a Big Love of Country

Ralph Waldo Rose was a big man.  Six foot five, 250 pounds.  He attended a big school, the University of Michigan.  In 1904, he was the Big Ten champion in both the shot put and discus.  After graduation, he went on to win seven Amateur Athletic Union titles in the shot put, discus and javelin. He was the first man to ever launch a shot farther than 50 feet.  His world record of 51 feet, set in 1909, lasted for 16 years.  He competed in three Olympic Games, winning three golds, two silvers and one bronze.

His biggest moment came in 1908.  That year’s Olympics had been moved to London when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed plans to hold them in Italy.  The English built a marvelous new stadium, the White City Stadium, in just 10 months.  To celebrate the venue and give their games an extra sparkle, the English introduced a new facet to the opening ceremony of the games, “the parade of nations,” wherein each team would march in and present themselves to their host, King Edward VII.

Each team entered the stadium led by one of their athletes bearing their national flag.  As they approached the King, each flag-bearer dipped his flag in deference.  The Americans entered the stadium led by their big man. Rose, chosen to be the American flag bearer, was Irish-American, and was no fan of English royalty.  As he approached the royal box, Rose – one of the most powerful, athletic men on the planet – made history by doing…nothing. He kept the Stars and Stripes completely vertical, and just kept walking.

Controversy erupted immediately.  The British press lashed out at Rose.  His teammate Martin Sheridan – also an Irish-American – poured gas on the fire, saying, “This flag dips to no earthly king.” The resulting games were highly emotional and allegedly tarnished when the Olympic judges, who were all British, consistently ruled in favor of their athletes. In the end, the Brits out-medaled the Yanks 146-47.

Rose died just 5 years later, of typhoid fever, at age 28.  But history shows that, for his defiance, Rose won his biggest achievement and one few athletes can claim: enshrinement in the official code of the United States. Since 1908, Title 4 of the United States Code on Flag Etiquette has read, “the American flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation.”

Mike Keeler
[email protected]

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