Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2016
- Class:
- 1996
Sport: Men's Track & Field
James Heizman placed 13th in the hammer throw at the 1996 NCAA Track and Field Championships, making him Bucknell's first All-American in that sport in 14 years. Heizman shattered the school record in the hammer with a toss of 209 feet, 3 inches, a mark that would remain in the books for 17 more years.
Heizman earned a Patriot League gold medal in the discus throw during his senior year, and he also graduated with the school record in the indoor 35-pound weight throw.
Heizman is a shining example of a Bucknell track and field athlete who came in without lofty credentials but improved throughout his career. He came to Bucknell from Long Island not having participated in the hammer throw in high school. He was throwing in the mid-140s as a freshman but qualified for Junior Nationals that summer and improved by 20 feet. By the end of his sophomore year, he ranked No. 2 on Bucknell's all-time list with a throw of 177 feet, and then he shattered the school record three times as a junior, including a mark of 194-10 in a runner-up finish at the Patriot League Championships. Early in his senior year he became the first Bison to eclipse 200 feet, and his mark of 209-3 held up until 2013, when Leonard Joseph bettered it by eight inches.
Heizman continued to compete in following graduation, and he placed fifth in the hammer throw at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, California. His throw of 229-8 was about eight feet shy of a top-three finish, which would have sent him to the Olympics in Athens, Greece.
(Bucknell Hall of Fame Class of 2016)
