This book follows the storied career of Bob Mathias, the world's most famous teenager in 1948 when he came from a small town in rural California to win the Olympic gold medal in the grueling decathlon event. Mathias was 17 years old and just out of high school when he won the gold for the USA in the London, England Olympiad. He won the gold again in the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland and was known as the world's greatest athlete. Mathias was also a football star at Stanford, leading the university to the Rose Bowl, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins of the NFL. He then went to Hollywood and starred in movies and worked with John Wayne. He also served in the U.S. Marines retiring with the rank of Captain. Later, Bob served as a congressman in Washington, D.C., serving in the House of Representatives for four terms. Bob Mathias: Across the fields of gold is a collection of stories and photographs (over 200) from Bob's youth to the present. It is a story not just of a great athlete and sportsman, but also a heartwarming story of family, community, and America at her best.