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It seems like the only person who doesn't think Bruce Kennedy was a victim of Olympic misfortune is Bruce Kennedy.
 
Kennedy was an All-American javelin thrower at Cal in the early 1970s and qualified for three Olympic Games. Only problem is, he never actually competed in any of them.
 
Kennedy grew up in the former English colony of Rhodesia and made its Olympic team in 1972. But days before the Games were set to begin in Munich, Germany, the International Olympic Committee ruled Rhodesia ineligible to compete because its government was unrecognized.
 
Kennedy qualified again in 1976, but once again Rhodesia was not allowed to participate.
 
By the time the 1980 Summer Olympics came around, Kennedy had become a United States citizen and qualified for Team USA. But the United States boycotted the Games in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.
 
Three Olympic teams. No Olympic appearances.
 
Forty years have passed since Kennedy was denied his final shot at Olympic glory, and instead of lamenting about being what many have dubbed as "the unluckiest Olympian ever," he prefers to see a bigger picture.
 
"I came to the States, I got a free education, I met my wife, I ended up throwing far and becoming world-class, and got to travel. How can I ever be disappointed by three track meets?" said Kennedy, who now lives in Santa Barbara and forged a successful career in investment banking. "The Olympics were such a small negative compared to everything else I have gained."
 
Kennedy's third chance at the Olympics may not have ever happened had it not been for former Rhodesia track coach John Cheffers. While in Mexico City for the 1968 Summer Games, Cheffers ran into Cal shot putter and U.S. team member Dave Maggard, who was set to return to Berkeley as an assistant coach in 1969.
 
Cheffers told Maggard about Kennedy, and a long, global recruiting process began.
 
"We wrote back and forth about three times," said Maggard, who went on to become Cal's athletic director from 1972-91 and now resides in Florida. "I felt, first of all, he was a good student. I thought he could be a decent javelin thrower. He had great motivation and was someone you could really coach."
 
Kennedy's interest in studying in the U.S. was piqued after meeting a fellow Rhodesian who had spent a year in Los Angeles on an American Field Service scholarship. When he initially began exchanging letters with Maggard, Kennedy wasn't aware of Cal's academic reputation.
 
"I had no appreciation for what kind of academic institution it was," Kennedy said. "At the time, it didn't matter. I could have ended up anywhere and it wouldn't have mattered to me. I happened to get very lucky to come to Cal, for obvious reasons."
 
Kennedy ultimately did his research and learned where Cal stood academically and socially. He went on to set the Cal school record in the javelin with a mark of 267 feet, 4 inches in 1973, when he was an All-American and led the Bears to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships.
 
"Bruce Kennedy is the epitome of a true Golden Bear," Maggard said. "He's just a tremendous person, someone that the University of California can be so proud of in terms of who he is and what he represents as a person. He's about as good as it gets."
 
Kennedy did finally make it to the Olympics – as an usher. When the 1984 Summer Games came to Los Angeles, Kennedy served as an usher at the L.A. Coliseum for all track & field events, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.
 
"The worst part was the opening ceremony, when you are standing there and you see guys who were on the team with you and they are on the track," Kennedy said. "That was emotionally difficult because it hit back to what we had missed. But it was fun to enjoy the Games."
 
Kennedy actually had a chance to compete in the Olympics in 1980. Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1979 and was allowed to compete in Moscow. Zimbabwe asked Kennedy to compete, but Kennedy turned down the offer, stating that he was now a U.S. citizen and would remain loyal to that.
 
"I changed my citizenship not for athletic reasons, but because I was going to live here," Kennedy said. "It's a very serious decision to make, and you don't flip-flop for convenience. I never seriously considered it."
 
Kennedy said it made it easier for him to get over his Olympic disappointments because he was ready to move on to other chapters of his life. Kennedy earned his MBA from Stanford and entered a career of investment management. He also met his wife, Barbara, at Cal and they had two children – Colin and Heather. Colin graduated from Cal in 2011.
 
"I moved on. I had to," Kennedy said. "I'm sure there are a lot of people who felt negative about it for longer than I did, and perhaps because they didn't have a transition plan like I had. When I went back to business school in 1982, I couldn't walk around sulking about the Olympics. I had more things on my mind."
 
In 2006, Kennedy established the Bruce Kennedy Track & Field Scholarship at Cal. The program's current recipient is Camryn Rogers, who won the 2019 NCAA championship in the hammer throw.
 
Rogers brought a hand-written note for Kennedy to last year's Cal Student-Athlete Scholarship Banquet. Kennedy was unable to attend, but he ultimately received Rogers' note of gratitude. The two have remained in contact since.
 
"Reading his story and just talking with him about his life experiences, especially with the Olympics – he just has an incredible mindset," Rogers said. "I've been able to learn from him and his life. Bruce is just an incredible, awesome person."
 
Kennedy followed Rogers' NCAA performance online last year and sent her an email of congratulations moments after she won. About an hour later, Kennedy's phone rang.
 
"I knew it was a Bay Area area code but I didn't really know anyone up there, so I wasn't going to answer it," Kennedy said. "I decided to pick it up, and it was her. We just talked about everything. I got to meet her mother on the phone. She was thrilled, as everybody was. She's an outstanding person."
 
Rogers said immediately after winning the championship, her thoughts turned to those who have helped her along the way. With throws coach Mohamad Saatara and her mom, Shari, at the track with her, she was able to express her gratitude with them right away. Then her thoughts turned to Kennedy.
 
"One person I wanted to thank in particular is Bruce, for the opportunity he has given me, being able to attend Cal," Rogers said. "Bruce just has the ability to take in everything that's happening around him and turn it into a positive. He is someone to look up to."
 
Kennedy still remembers vividly the day he first set foot on campus – Sept. 29, 1969. The date holds so much importance for Kennedy that he still calls Maggard every year on Sept. 29.
 
Last year marked the 50th anniversary of his arrival at Cal.
 
"He calls me, no matter where he is," Maggard said. "If you want someone to come to Cal and be a great alum, or you want to point to people who have gone to Cal and excelled in different ways – he is one of your poster boys."