Eddie Hart – Disqualified
Friday, March 9th at 7pm
Barnes & Noble, Burbank
Join us this Friday, March 9th at 7:00 pm to hear from Olympic Track & Field athlete, Mr. Eddie Hart! Mr. Hart is the author of “Disqualified”, a book that sheds entirely new light on what really happened at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. 1972 Olympic Gold medalist, Eddie Hart will be signing his recently published book, “Disqualified: Eddie Hart, Munich 1972, And The Voices of the Most Tragic Olympics.” (Kent State Press) at Barnes & Noble Store Bookstore in Burbank (731 N. San Fernando Blvd.) on Friday, March 9th at 7pm.
Eddie Hart was a strong favorite to win the 100-meter dash at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. Then the inexplicable happened: he was disqualified after arriving late for a quarterfinal heat. Ten years of training to become the Worlds’ Fastest Human,” the title attached to an Olympic 100-meter champion was lost in a heartbeat. But who was to blame?
An outdated schedule knocked him out of the 100 meters. He, his coach and two teammates had the wrong starting times for the quarterfinals. It was one of the great snafus in Olympic history witnessed by millions of television viewers across the globe.
Hart’s disappointment, though excruciating was just one of many subplots to the most tragic of Olympic Games, at which Palestinian terrorist shocked the world and killed eleven Israeli athletes and coaches.
“Disqualified” includes Eddie’s recollection of the 1972 Olympic Games and follows him on a return trip to the stadium which was the sight of one of his greatest disappointments and triumphs. Later in the games, Eddie earned a Gold Medal in the 400-meter relay, but his disqualification from the 100-meter individual race denied him his chance to win the Gold Medal against the world’s best and left him wondering “What if?”
Eddie’s running rival from the Soviet Union, Valery Borzov would go on to win the Gold Medal in the 100-meters.
“Disqualified” also includes interviews with Olympic Swim Champion Mark Spitz, other American Olympic athletes who competed in 1972 and conversations with two Israelis who escaped the terrorist attack.
As Dr. Cornell West relates regarding Eddie Hart’s story in the Foreword to “Disqualified,”
“His courageous response, not reaction – to his heartbreaking experience of disqualification is a life lesson to all of us as to how to be spiritually fortified and morally majestic.”
Eddie Hart earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in 1975 and masters from Cal State-Hayward before embarking on a career as a teacher and coach at the college level. He currently lives in the Bay Area.
WHEN:
March 9th, 7:00pm
WHERE:
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
731 N. San Fernando Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
818-558-1383
CONTACT:
Yanique Johnson: Community Business Development Mgr.
[email protected]
John Chavez, Publicist
805-794-0322
[email protected]
