Nice little story on M65 thrower Glenn Sasser in his local North Carolina newspaper. Although he’s the defending shot champion from Spokane and Landover, he’s not sure whether he’ll go to Lahti for worlds this summer. Glenn says: “Those boys in Germany are pretty good. One is really good. The other two are about like me with their tosses, so there is not much difference.” Story makes the common mistake of suggesting you have to qualify for worlds. You don’t. But the rest of it is pretty solid. Like Glenn himself. (We need you at worlds!)

Glenn Sasser threw 44-11 1/2 to beat George Mathews
by more than 3 feet at Landover indoor nationals.
Dr. Jeremias Attila, the Eurovets winner, went only 43-9 3/4.

Here’s the story, in case the link goes bad:

By Chuck Carree
Staff Writer

Retired local high school football coach Glenn Sasser has positioned himself for the designation as world champion in his age group in the shot put in track and field.
Now he must determine whether to chase the dream abroad.

His most recent crown, March 21 at the USA Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships in Maryland, qualified him for the world championship in Lahti, Finland, on July 28-Aug.8.

If he goes, he will be outfitted in USA apparel. Unlike the Olympics, which foots the bill, Sasser would have to pay his own way, unless he finds sponsorship.

By the same token, he is intrigued to face the German participants, who hold the top three spots in the world rankings ahead of fourth-place Sasser in the men’s 65-69 age group.

“Those boys in Germany are pretty good,” Sasser said. “One is really good. The other two are about like me with their tosses, so there is not much difference.”

Sasser will make up his mind over the next six weeks. In the meantime, he will participate in the Carolinas Masters on April 18 in Charlotte and the Bob Boal Masters Track & Field Championship May 2 in Raleigh.

“After those two, I will have a better idea whether I want to go or not,” he said.

Sasser captured the U.S. outdoor crown late last summer with a throw of 13.56 meters in Spokane, Wash., and won the indoor title eight days ago with a throw of 44 feet, 1.5 inches, beating his closest competitor by almost three feet. Tossing against 12 others in his age group, he bettered the outdoor mark of 13.70 meters he set last year.

“The competition was better than it was in the outdoor finals,” he said. “It was so far away last year that most people couldn’t afford to go there.”

Sasser had never thrown indoors and was shocked by his performance.

One of the competitors he beat in Maryland was his former N.C. State football teammate, Pete Falzarano, who was part of a backfield with the Wolfpack known as “the Mafia” in 1963.

 Falzarano, a New Jersey native, played fullback. Sasser was an end and was a 12th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1965 National Football League draft.

“I had not seen him in 45 years,” Sasser said.

Sasser, 65, is a well-known high school coach in Southeastern North Carolina. He was offensive coordinator at New Hanover High in the early 1990s when Trot Nixon was a highly-touted quarterback. Later as the Wildcats’ head coach, his prize pupil was Alge Crumpler, a pro bowl tight end.