Medalists who never claimed medals

One of the most controversial moments in Olympic history occurred at the 1972 Munich Games, when the US men’s basketball team vehemently protested an officiating call that twice extended the gold-medal game with the Soviet Union. The extra seconds allowed the Soviets to hand the Americans their first-ever Olympic loss. Upset by what they felt was an injustice, the US players have never accepted their silver medals. The members of the US team and the colleges they represented:

Tom Henderson, San Jacinto Junior College
Ed Ratleff, Long Beach State
Doug Collins, Illinois State
Kevin Joyce, U. of South Carolina
Mike Bantom, St. Joseph’s
Kenny Davis, Marathon Oil AAU team (also Georgetown College, in Ky.)
Jim Forbes, U. of Texas-El Paso
Tom McMillen, University of Maryland
Bobby Jones, U. of North Carolina
Jim Brewer, U. of Minnesota
Tom Burleson, North Carolina State
Dwight Jones, U. of Houston

Compiled by Ross Atkin.