Oerter won a gold medal for discus throwing in Olympic Games held in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968, despite numerous injuries and ailments. He retired for eight years, only to return and be a nationally ranked thrower.

Oerter, who lived in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., was one of two men to have won individual event gold medals in four consecutive Olympics. The other was Carl Lewis, who won gold in the long jump in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996.

Oerter embodied the definition of a renaissance man. ESPN ranked him No. 68 in its top 100 North American athletes of the 20th century. He had a computer career. He had a public speaking career. He was an engaging conversationalist.

And he was an art lover. He began his artistic dabblings in 1980 when Anheuser-Busch commissioned him and other renowned athletes to create works for the U.S. Olympic Team. Each athlete had to use the equipment required in his or her sport - a hockey stick, track shoes.

Even though he'd never taken an art class, Oerter used the discus like a makeshift brush to drag reds, greens and browns across the canvas. The paint slid off the surface. The thing was a mess.

Then he had a beer - the whole effort was for Anheuser-Busch, after all - and tried again.

That time Oerter clustered bubble wrap behind the canvas and poured puddles of reds, greens, yellows and blacks on the surface. He took the discus and smashed it on the colorful pools.

"All of a sudden there was paint all over the damn place," Oerter recalled in a 2003 interview with The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press.