The undefeated track squad of 1975 was one of the greatest teams
in the history of WPI athletics, and Bob Donle was a key cog to the
legendary squad.
A member of the indoor and outdoor track and field teams all
four years, he competed in the long jump, triple jump, and javelin,
and was co-captain during the storybook 1975 season.
"Bob Donle was a winner," says coach Merl Norcross, a Hall of
Famer himself. "I counted on him to win two events every meet-and
he delivered."
Deliver he did! During his freshman season, in 1972, Bob placed
in two events in 90 percent of the meets. As a sophomore, he became
even more of a force, winning two events in 90 percent of the
meets.
Arguably, Bob's junior year campaign was one of the best in
school history. He won two events at an eyepopping 95 percent of
WPI's meets. That set the stage for the magical senior year, 1975.
In addition to winning dual events in 90 percent of the meets, he
won the Eastern Championships meet in Maine, one that brought
together the best track and field athletes from all three divisions
along the East coast.
Bob Donle was one of an amazing seven members of the 1975 team
to hold a school record. In fact, his jump of 46 feet-7-1/2 inches
in the triple jump at the Tufts Invitational is one of the oldest
records at WPI.
"As a captain he led by example," says Norcross. "Winning was
one of the many examples he set and accomplished."
In high school Bob lettered in both track and basketball. In his
senior year, he set the school record in the long jump and was the
co-captain of the track team. At WPI, he majored in civil
engineering with an emphasis on construction management.
Bob is vice president of operations at Nordic Construction, a
Hawaii-based commercial building contractor that has grown from
revenues of approximately $15 million in 1998 to nearly $100
million per year today. He and his wife, Praneet, reside in
Kaneohe, Hawaii.
