Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – July 10. 2024 – With the 2024 Summer Olympics coming up on the 26th, we want to highlight the Olympic gold medalists who hailed from Arkansas.

Since 1896, the start of the modern Olympics, there have been FIFTEEN Arkansas Natives who have become Team USA gold medalists—so who are our Olympic gold medalists?

William Carr – Pine Bluff, Arkansas
William “Bill” Carr ran for Team USA at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, where he won gold medals for the men’s 400 meters and the men’s 4 x 400 meters relay. During his brief career he was never beaten over the one lap distance.

Eddie Hamm – Lonoke, Arkansas
Eddie Hamm ran for Team USA and won gold in men’s Long Jump at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. During his Olympic trials he set a long jump world record of 25-11⅛. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1971.

Jim Hines – Dumas, Arkansas
Jim Hines ran for Team USA at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He brought home two gold medals, one in the men’s 100 meters, and one in the men’s 4 x 100-meter relay. He was coached by a former Olympic champion, Bobby Marrow. In 1979 Hines was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Dallas Long – Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Dallas Long threw for Team USA at both the 1960 Rome Olympics and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. At his first Olympics he won a bronze medal for Shot Put, at his second Olympics he brought home gold in Shot Put. Once his throwing career ended he became a practicing dentist, went to medical school, and practiced emergency medicine.

Maxie Parks – Arkansas City, Arkansas
Maxie Parks ran for Team USA at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Parks brought home the gold for the men’s 4 x 400-meter relay. The following year Maxie Parks made the 1977 World Cup team, however he got a severely pulled hamstring during the 1600-meter relay. He didn’t compete again after that.

Jeff Henderson – McAlmont, Arkansas
Jeff Henderson ran for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he won a gold medal for Long Jump. Henderson has won medals at both the Summer Pan American Games and the World Athletics Championships.

Kyle Clemons – Jonesboro, Arkansas
Kyle Clemons ran for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He brought home a gold medal for the men’s 4 x 400-meter Relay. He has won medals at the Summer Pan American Games, the World Athletics Championships, and the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Gordon Carpenter – Saddle, Arkansas
Gordon “Shorty” Carpenter played basketball for Team USA in the 1948 London Olympics, and he helped Team USA take home a gold medal. He was an Amateur Athletic Union legend and was inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Fame in part due to his accomplishments during his college career at the University of Arkansas.

Scottie Pippen – Hamburg, Arkansas
Scottie Pippen played basketball for Team USA at both the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. At both of those he helped to bring home gold medals for basketball. Pippen is the only player to win an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal in the same year twice. In 2010 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jim Barnes – Tuckerman, Arkansas
Jim “Bad News” Barnes played basketball for Team USA at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where he helped bring home a gold medal. During his college days he played center, and at the Olympics alternated with Mel Counts at that position.

John Boles – Fort Smith, Arkansas
John Boles shot for Team USA at the 1924 Paris Olympics where he won gold in the Running Target, Single Shot event, and helped win bronze for the team Running Target, Single Shot event. Boles is the only American trained in the USA to have ever won any success in the running deer event.

Joe Benner – Paragould, Arkansas
Joe Benner competed in shooting for Team USA at three Olympics, the 1948 London Olympics, 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He didn’t win a medal at either the 1948 or 1952 Olympics, however at the 1956 Olympics he brought home a gold medal for men’s Free Pistol, 50 meters. Benner holds the top competitive record internationally of any pistol shooter from the US.

Keena Rothhammer – Little Rock, Arkansas
Keena Rothhammer swam for Team USA at the 1972 Munich Olympics. There she brought home a bronze medal in women’s 200 meters freestyle and a gold medal in women’s 800 meters freestyle. After she retired, she studied broadcast journalism at Southern Cal.

John Hargis – Clinton, Arkansas
John Hargis swam for Team USA at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he won a gold medal for the men’s 4 x 100-meter medley relay. He is considered a butterfly and backstroke specialist, and has gone on to coach at Penn State, Arkansas, Auburn, and later becoming head coach at University of Pittsburgh.

Ryan Franklin – Fort Smith, Arkansas
Ryan Franklin played baseball for Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he was a pitcher and helped win a gold medal. When he was done playing, he began working in the Cardinals front office.

Notable mention: Kimberly Derrick – Blytheville, Arkansas
Kimberly Derrick skated both the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. While she didn’t win a medal at the 2006 Olympics, she did win a bronze medal for the women’s 3,000-meter Relay at the 2010 Olympics. She is the only Arkansas Native to have been on Team USA for a winter Olympics