Brian competed at Manly High School. The High Jump was his specialty from the start. 1978 – High School Freshman – jumped 5′ 10″ 1979 – High School Sophomore – jumped 6′ 5″ – school record – qualified for the Drake Relays, but could not compete due to injuries. 1980 – High School Junior – 7′ at the Dickinson Relays, the first Iowan to jump 7′. He also Long Jumped 21′ 3½” at the meet. At the State Meet he jumped 7′ ¼” which was the fourth best jump in the nation that year. At the Junior Olympics in Santa Clara, California he jumped 7′ placing 2nd. He was selected as a National High School Track and Field All-American and won the Hertz #1 Award, but did not accept in order to maintain his High School eligibility. 1981 – High School Senior – Jumped 7′ 2″ at the Dickinson Relays Indoor Meet to set a National High School Indoor record – he also Long Jumped 22′ 1¾”. At the Drake Relays he cleared 7′ 3″ and placed 2nd second in the Long Jump with a jump of 22′ 7¾”. He won the State Meet with a High Jump of 7′ 3½” and the Long Jump with a jump of 22′ 9¾”. Brian averaged 6′ 10½” for the entire season. During the summer of 1981 he participated in the Golden West Invitational, in Sacramento, California, jumping 6′ 8″, the Keebler Invitational in Chicago, Illinois jumping 7′ and was selected as a National High School Track and Field All-American. He again won the Hertz Award and this time he went to New York, New York to accept the award. Following high school Brian enrolled at Iowa State University. His College Career – 19981-1982 – Freshman year: did not compete on the Iowa State Track and Field Team. Jumping unattached he jumped 7′ 4½” at the USA-West Germany-All Africa Meet in Durham, North Carolina, 7′ 4½” at the Athletic congress National Meet in Knoxville, Tennessee, and 7′ 4½” at the Iowa State Intramural Meet. 1982-1983 – Sophomore year:In his first meet as an Iowa State Cyclone he set a Big 8 Indoor Record, Iowa Intercollegiate Record, Iowa State Record while competing in the Badger Indoor Classic in Madison, Wisconsin. He jumped 7′ 5¼”. At the Ames Open Indoor Meet he cleared 7′ 6″ which was the sixth best by an American, set a Big 8 Indoor Meet Record of 7′ 4½”, and jumped 7′ 5″ at the Drake Relays. 1983-1984 – Junior year: Brian jumped 7′ 5¼” at the NCAA Outdoor Meet in Eugene, Oregon placing third. This qualified him for the Olympic Trials held in Los Angeles later that year. He was named an All-American. An injury to his take-off foot required surgery. He was given a no height at the trials for he had his cast removed just one month before the event. 1984-1985 – Senior year: He jumped 6′ 11½” at the Big 8 Indoor Meet. Brian jumped 7′ 5″ at the NCAA National Indoor Meet, but his foot and never again competed like he wanted to compete and gave up his remaining collegiate eligibility. A severe auto accident in 1987 resulted in ending his High Jumping career for good. Vaughn Koster, Brian’s High School Coach said, “Brian was a fine young man, a great individual to work with, and would have broken 8′ if he had not gotten hurt.” Brian and family live in Bollingbrook, Illinois. Brian says, “I live for my daughter’s smile and “Hi Daddy”, when I come home from work.”
Brian Tietjens
