Carl-Olaf Homen (2001) - Hall of Fame - University of Delaware Athletics

Carl-Olaf Homen

Induction:
2001
Class:
1960

CARL-OLAF HOMEN
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field (1960)
Men’s Cross Country (1959)

A standout distance runner, Carl-Olaf came to the University of Delaware as an exchange student from his native Finland and dominated the running scene in his only season of competition.

A 1960 graduate of the University, Carl-Olaf was virtually unbeatable during the 1959-60 season. He is still the only UD cross country runner to win an individual conference title when he captured the 1959 Middle Atlantic Conference crown and followed that by capturing the MAC outdoor two-mile run title during the spring with a school record time of 9:28.4.

He set a new course record in every cross country meet in which he competed in 1959.

He returned to Finland and became a successful businessman and a national and international supporter of athletics at the Olympic level. He was the president of the Finnish Olympic Committee (1984-88), president of the Finnish Amateur Athletic Association (1977-80), and the president of the Finnish Sports Federation (2000-03).

He is a member of the Swedish People's Party of Finland and served as the Minister of Defence of Finland from October 1974 to June 1975. Internationally he is best known as a member of the board of the International Association of Athletics Federations and as a president of the European Athletic Association from 1987 to 1999.