World Rankings — Men’s High Jump Donald Thomas started jumping in basketball shoes in ’06 and the next year became world champion and the No. 1 Ranker © GIANCARLO COLOMBO/PHOTO RUN 1947 1949 1 ......................................Bill Vessie (US) 1 ...............Alan Paterson (Great Britain) 2 ............................... Dave Albritton (US) 2 .................................. Dick Phillips (US) 3 ........................ Moon Mondschein (US) 3 ........................ Moon Mondschein (US) 4 ................................. Tom Scofield (US) 4 ..............................Dike Eddleman (US) 5 ................................John Vislocky (US) 5 .................... Georges Damitio (France) 6 ............................... Chuck Hanger (US) 6 .................Yuriy Ilyasov (Soviet Union) 7 ..................................... Les Steers (US) 7 ..............................Rune Reiz (Sweden) 8 ..............................Dike Eddleman (US) 8 ................................John Vislocky (US) 9 .........................John Winter (Australia) 9 ..........................Arne Ahman (Sweden) 10 .............Alan Paterson (Great Britain) 10 ...........................Jack Heintzman (US) 1948 1950 1 .........................John Winter (Australia) 1 .................Papa Gallo Thiam (Senegal) 2 ............................. George Stanich (US) 2 .........................John Winter (Australia) 3 ..............................Dike Eddleman (US) 3 ...............Alan Paterson (Great Britain) 4 ......................................Bill Vessie (US) 4 ................................Virgil Severns (US) 5 .................................Vern McGrew (US) 5 ..................................Jack Razetto (US) 6 ................................. Tom Scofield (US) 6 .................................Vern McGrew (US) 7 ............................... Dave Albritton (US) 7 .............................. Robert Walters (US) 8 .................................. Dick Phillips (US) 8 .............Andre Du Preez (South Africa) 9 ................................John Vislocky (US) 9 .............................. Robert Gorden (US) 10 ..................... Bjørn Paulson (Norway) 10 ............................. Dave Albritton (US) © Track & Field News 2019 — 1 — World Rankings — Men’s High Jump 1951 1955 1 ..................................J. Lewis Hall (US) 1 ................................ Ernie Shelton (US) 2 ..................................Buddy Davis (US) 2 ....................... Bengt Nilsson (Sweden) 3 ....................................Herm Wyatt (US) 3 ...............................Charlie Dumas (US) 4 .................... Georges Damitio (France) 4 ................................... Floyd Smith (US) 5 ............................ Charles Holding (US) 5 ........ Jaroslav Kovář (Czechoslovakia) 6 ................................Arnold Betton (US) 6 ................................... Vern Wilson (US) 7 .................................. Barney Dyer (US) 7 .................................... Wilfred Lee (US) 8 ................. Göran Widenfeldt (Sweden) 8 ................................. Bernie Allard (US) 9 ....................................... Herb Neff (US) 9 ..............................Ion Söter (Romania) 10 ..............................Virgil Severns (US) 10 ....................Julius Chigbolu (Nigeria) 1952 1956 1 ..................................Buddy Davis (US) 1 ...............................Charlie Dumas (US) 2 ..................................Ken Wiesner (US) 2 .............Igor Kashkarov (Soviet Union) 3 ................................Emery Barnes (US) 3 ........................Chilla Porter (Australia) 4 ..............................Ion Söter (Romania) 4 ....................... Bengt Nilsson (Sweden) 5 ................... Gösta Svensson (Sweden) 5 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 6 ........José Telles da Conceição (Brazil) 6 ................................... Vern Wilson (US) 7 ................................Arnold Betton (US) 7 .................................... Bill Russell (US) 8 ...................................Fred Pratley (US) 8 ................................ Ernie Shelton (US) 9 ............................ Charles Holding (US) 9 .................................... Phil Reavis (US) 10 ..................................Herm Wyatt (US) 10 ............Vladimir Sitkin (Soviet Union) 1953 1957 1 ..................................Buddy Davis (US) 1 ........... Yuriy Styepanov (Soviet Union) 2 ................................ Ernie Shelton (US) 2 .............Igor Kashkarov (Soviet Union) 3 ..................................J. Lewis Hall (US) 3 ...............................Charlie Dumas (US) 4 ............................ Charles Holding (US) 4 ..............Vladimir Sitkin (Soviet Union) 5 .................................... Mark Smith (US) 5 ........................Chilla Porter (Australia) 6 ....................................... Milt Mead (US) 6 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 7 ..............................Ion Söter (Romania) 7 .................................Al Urbanckas (US) 8 ....................... Bengt Nilsson (Sweden) 8 .................................... Phil Reavis (US) 9 .................................. Barney Dyer (US) 9 ................................ Ernie Shelton (US) 10 ................................Ken Wiesner (US) 10 ....... Zbigniew Lewandowski (Poland) 1954 1958 1 ................................ Ernie Shelton (US) 1 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 2 ....................... Bengt Nilsson (Sweden) 2 ...............................Charlie Dumas (US) 3 ............................ Charles Holding (US) 3 ............... Jiří Lánský (Czechoslovakia) 4 .................................... Floyd Jeter (US) 4 .............Igor Kashkarov (Soviet Union) 5 ......................... Doug Spainhower (US) 5 ......................... Rickard Dahl (Sweden) 6 ...................................Bob Billings (US) 6 ........... Yuriy Styepanov (Soviet Union) 7 ............... Jiří Lánský (Czechoslovakia) 7 .................... Bertil Holmgren (Sweden) 8 ................Emmanuel Ifeajuna (Nigeria) 8 ...................................Don Stewart (US) 9 ......................................Art Carder (US) 9 ....................Theo Püll (West Germany) 10 ..................................Bennie Roy (US) 10 .............................. John Thomas (US) © Track & Field News 2019 — 2 — World Rankings — Men’s High Jump 1959 1963 1 ...............................Charlie Dumas (US) 1 ..............Valeriy Brumel (Soviet Union) 2 .............Igor Kashkarov (Soviet Union) 2 ...................Tony Sneazwell (Australia) 3 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 3 ...............................Gene Johnson (US) 4 .....Robert Shavlakadze (Soviet Union) 4 ................................ John Thomas (US) 5 ....................... Eero Salminen (Finland) 5 ...............................Chihchin Ni (China) 6 ................................Errol Williams (US) 6 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 7 ..................................Bob Gardner (US) 7 ..................Kjell-Ake Nilsson (Sweden) 8 ........................Chilla Porter (Australia) 8 ........................................Lew Hoyt (US) 9 ............... Jiří Lánský (Czechoslovakia) 9 ....................................Paul Stuber (US) 10 ................................ Wayne Moss (US) 10 .....................................Joe Faust (US) 1960 1964 1 ................................ John Thomas (US) 1 ..............Valeriy Brumel (Soviet Union) 2 ..............Valeriy Brumel (Soviet Union) 2 ................................ John Thomas (US) 3 .....Robert Shavlakadze (Soviet Union) 3 ..................................John Rambo (US) 4 ..............Viktor Bolshov (Soviet Union) 4 .....Robert Shavlakadze (Soviet Union) 5 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 5 ......................Edward Czernik (Poland) 6 ...............................Charlie Dumas (US) 6 ...............................Chihchin Ni (China) 7 .......................................Joe Faust (US) 7 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 8 ................................Errol Williams (US) 8 ................................. Ed Caruthers (US) 9 ............................... Charles Lewis (US) 9 ..................Kjell-Ake Nilsson (Sweden) 10 ..................................Herm Wyatt (US) 10 ........................Mahamat Idriss (Chad) 1961 1965 1 ..............Valeriy Brumel (Soviet Union) 1 ..............Valeriy Brumel (Soviet Union) 2 ................................ John Thomas (US) 2 ...............................Chihchin Ni (China) 3 ......................................Bob Avant (US) 3 ..............Viktor Bolshov (Soviet Union) 4 .....................Stig Pettersson (Sweden) 4 ....................................Otis Burrell (US) 5 ..............Viktor Bolshov (Soviet Union) 5 ................. Lawrie Peckham (Australia) 6 .............Igor Kashkarov (Soviet Union) 6 ...................Tony Sneazwell (Australia) 7 .....Robert Shavlakadze (Soviet Union) 7 ................................ John Dobroth (US) 8 ..................................Bob Gardner (US) 8 . Wolfgang Schillkowski (West Germany) 9 ..........................Mahamat Idriss (Chad) 9 .........Valeriy Skvortsov (Soviet Union) 10 .....................................Joe Faust (US) 10 .............................Frank Costello (US) 1962 1966 1 ..............Valeriy Brumel (Soviet Union) 1 ...............................Chihchin