Thomas Hill felt the thrill of victory at 22 when he won a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympic Games. Hill, now vice president for Student Affairs, finished first in all of his preliminary runs for the 110-meter high hurdles. Terrorism was the last thing on his mind. During the games in Munich, Germany, on Sept. 5, 1972, the Israeli Olympic team woke to find that a Palestinian terrorist group, Black September, had taken their quarters hostage. The takeover resulted in the murder of 11 Israeli team members and is known as the Olympic Massacre. Hill said he and some of his teammates first noticed something was wrong when they were walking to breakfast that morning. He said they came down the stairs to find a man with a machine gun slung over his shoulder. “We, being the cocky Americans, just kept going,” Hill said. “He mumbled something in a foreign language, cocked his gun and motioned us back to where we had just come from.” Not knowing or understanding what was going on, Hill said the group was upset about the incident. After returning to their rooms, team members learned the seriousness of the situation. “Rumors had already started going around and we had heard lots of different things,” he said. “Finally, the staff brought us together and told us what was going on.” Hill said the tragedy was a reality check for the Americans. “It was disappointing because you don’t expect it from a sporting event,” he said. “You think that everyone that is there is there to watch sports. What we didn’t realize is that politics are woven through everything.” Hill said the games were halted, with funerals for the slain athletes in the Olympic stadium. “It was a real sobering moment,” Hill said. “Reality set in and we began to think that if someone wanted to kill us, they could.” Twenty-four hours later the decision to continue the games was made, and Hill, who had already competed in the preliminary races, qualified for finals. “I blew through prelims,” he said. “I was the typical cocky American.” Having competed in international meets during the last year, Hill said he knew most of the athletes he was running against, making it easier to compete against them. He said his main competitors were Rod Milburn of the United States, and Guy Drut (pronounced Gee Drew) of France. While knowing his competitors may have made some of the races easier, Hill said the finals were a different story. “I was scared to death,” he said. “I was worried about everything – I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to run. It was similar to waiting for an execution. You either do it or you don’t, no in-between.” As he prepared to run in the finals, Hill walked around to keep warm. He said the Olympic stadium was packed – every seat taken – and he was amazed at all of the people there to watch him race. “I kept telling myself stuff, stupid stuff,” he said. “I told myself a lot of stupid stuff. I was scared that I wouldn’t do my best.” The perfection of the field was unbelievable, Hill said. “The field was manicured, the lines on the track were perfectly aligned, the hurdles were perfectly spaced and set,” he said. “We were called to the blocks and everything went numb. I just went on automatic and did my thing.” Hill said that running the race was harder than it looked. “I was told that I was ugly going over the hurdles but that it looked effortless,” he said. “It might have looked effortless, but it wasn’t.” Electronic starting blocks were a new feature that year, and officials could detect the smallest movement. He said this was a huge change for the athletes since they usually used the blocks to get a head start before the other runners. “The tension was all at the starting line,” he said. “You didn’t want to make it all the way over to Germany and then get kicked out by the electronic starting blocks.” Once they were called to the blocks, Hill said the stadium became quiet. As he was concentrating on his upcoming run, Hill heard his name from the stadium. “I heard this woman yelling, `Thomas, Thomas Hill. I’m from Jonesboro, Ark.’ My hometown,” Hill said. “And all I could think was, `Lord have mercy, she’s from Jonesboro.'” Steve Lynn, head ISU men’s track and field coach, remembers the race between Hill and his competitors. “I had just started watching hurdles,” Lynn said. “I knew who [Hill], Milburn and Drut were. I was in college and watching the Olympics on television.” Hill won the bronze medal, while Milburn won gold and Drut won silver. “I remember the back of their heads really well,” Hill said. Hill said his wife and son had planned to join him at the games after he competed but couldn’t because he was called to active duty in the Army immediately after he was finished with his race. Although he had to leave before the closing ceremonies, Hill said he was still able to experience being an Olympic medalist. “I wore my medal everywhere,” he said. “I had a seat on the airline for coach, and the minute that they saw my medal they placed me in first class the whole way. They waited on me hand and foot.” Hill said he tried out for the 1976 Olympic games but did not make the team. “It crossed my mind to go for the 1980 Olympic games, but the thought of putting my life on hold for another four years – I couldn’t do it,” he said. “I felt bad, but it was over by then.” Even though his participation in the games was 18 years ago, Hill said it still produces fond memories. “When I get together with old friends we laugh and talk about it like it was yesterday,” he said. Looking back on the experience now, Hill said there are still some parts that are incredible to him. “The diversity and culture of the Olympic Village was amazing,” he said. “Everyone had to eat at the same dining center and to see all the different countries in the same room – it was amazing.” During his stay at the Olympic Village, Hill said he got to know many people from different countries. “It was amazing trying to communicate with people when you didn’t speak the same language,” he said. “We traded Olympic country pins. I had this hat that I put all the pins on.” Hill said he still has the hat, but he doesn’t have his Olympic medal. “I gave it to a friend of mine,” Hill said. “She still had better have it or I might just have to kill her.” Hill said his two sons didn’t know that their dad was a famous Olympian when they were growing up. Then one day, one of his sons saw a picture of Hill running the hurdles in his math book and finally realized what his dad had accomplished. “It was weird,” Hill said. “I didn’t really think about it. It was kind of a humbling experience.” Hill said he remembers the Olympics as if it happened yesterday. “There are some things in your life that get etched into your mind, and no matter what, you don’t forget them,” he said. “This, the games in general, was one of those things.” Click here to learn about the 1972 Olympics in Munich.