ADDENDUM: It should be noted that the letter of authenticity provided by Parry O'Brien has a significant typo that mistakenly claims he wore the offered USA singlet in "1950" at the Tokyo Olympics. We can safely assume that he mixed up the year with the size 50 tag and meant to put "1964." Getty images show him serving as flag bearer at the 1964 Tokyo Games and wearing the singlet during competition there.
Here we have two amazing pieces of Olympic and American sports history: the USA Track & Field jersey singlet worn by 2-time Olympic champion William Patrick "Parry" O'Brien during Olympic competition in 1964 and the actual shot put he used to break five world records indoors from 1953-58. Parry O'Brien is considered the greatest shot putter of all time. He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics (1952-1964) where he won two gold medals (1952 Helsinki & 1956 Melbourne) and one silver medal (1960 Rome). He placed fourth at the 1964 Tokyo Games where he also served as the flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team at the opening ceremonies. In the early 1950's while competing for the University of Southern California, O'Brien invented the method used today of facing the opposite direction and spinning 180 degrees to throw the shot. Known as the "O'Brien Style" or the "O'Brien Glide", this revolutionary technique helped him win 116 consecutive meets and set the world record a total of 17 times (indoors & outdoors combined). He held the world record from 1953 to 1959 and was the first to launch the 16-pound shot more than 60 feet. For all of his athletic feats and everlasting contributions to the sport of track and field, O'Brien was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. A lifelong athlete, O'Brien died of a heart attack in 2007 at the age of 75 while competing in a Southern California masters swimming event.
The blue singlet has "USA" sewn in red lettering and white trim. The Wilson tag at the left shirttail has a flag tag with "50" written in black pen, most likely for the size. The verso of the flag tag has "P.O.B." in black pen to mark its owner. There is nothing sewn on the back of the jersey. The jersey shows significant wear: pilling in the cotton fabric where he pinned his athlete number below the "USA" on the front; multiple areas of fraying on the back and one near the right armpit; and three holes--the largest being at the back right shoulder. It comes essentially as-issued and problem-free. Photos show O'Brien wearing this same style jersey during the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo where he took 4th place.
The once circular, now more oval-shaped shot put weighs exactly 16 lb. and is covered in leather like a baseball, but with leather stitching instead. This design is specifically for indoor meets. It presents well on a 4" x 6" by 6" wooden display holder with a self-adhesive nameplate that reads "1953-58 PARRY O'BRIEN 5 WORLD RECORDS", indicating the number of times he launched this shot a world-record distance indoors. O'Brien has autographed the dark brown colored shot in bold 9/10 black marker. The condition of the shot is good overall, slightly deformed and flat on the bottom from the years it has spent resting on the wooden stand in the museum where it was displayed. The lot also comes with a signed and matted 8" by 10" black and white photo of O'Brien competing as a USC Trojan.
8/10/1994 LOA from Parry O'Brien. In it, he mistakenly calls it a "1950" jersey when in fact it is a 1964 Tokyo Games singlet. He mixed up the size tag with the year. Includes a Letter of Provenance from the Newport Sports Museum. Autographs pre-certified by PSA/DNA.