Frances Kaszubski

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Frances Kaszubski was an American athlete with Polish roots who competed mainly in weight throwing, discus, and shot put. Born Frances Theresa Gorn-Sobczak on May 15, 1916, in Donora, Pennsylvania, she died on April 11, 2010, in Berea, Ohio. She stood about 6 feet 2 inches tall.

During World War II she officially represented Poland, but most of her competitions were in the United States. After the war she chose to represent the United States. She trained with the Westlake Athletic Club and became a dominant force in national track and field events. She was named All-American 13 times and won many national titles: shot put national champion in 1943, 1945, 1948, and 1950; indoor shot put champion in 1948 and 1951; and discus champion in 1943, 1945, and every year from 1947 to 1951. In 1948 she won both shot put and discus at the Olympic Trials, earning a spot on the US team. In London, she finished 11th in discus and did not advance in the shot put.

In the 1951 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Kaszubski won bronze in discus and placed fourth in shot put. She loved basketball as well and was the national AAU center in 1943. She turned down a Canadian college scholarship to help support her family.

Kaszubski was inducted into the Helms Athletic Foundation Women’s Hall of Fame in 1955. She later managed the US women’s track team at the 1959 Pan American Games and the 1960 Rome Olympics, helping the team win many gold medals. She also served as the National AAU chair for women’s track for seven years and was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Locally, she worked as city recreation administrator for 22 years. A 1978 retirement proclamation praised her for leading the renaissance of women’s competitive sports. Former teammates and colleagues remember her as a caring mentor who supported young athletes and believed in peace through sports.