Won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1948 Olympic Games in London
and then won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1952 Olympic Games in
Helsinki, thus making him the first athlete to win consecutive titles
in this event.
In 1954, Mathias and his ex-wife Melba Mathias, then married for 8 months,
appeared together on the TV show, You Bet Your Life (1950), which was hosted by Groucho Marx.
They won the semi-finals, but missed the $1,500.00 question.
Member of the US House of Representatives from California, 3 January
1967 - 3 January 1975.