It was not long before his second choice of sport was a true calling, as Ross blossomed into one of the greatest high school distance runners in the entire state of New Jersey.

Upon discharge several years later, he was discovered by Villanova University track coach Jim "Jumbo" Elliott and awarded a scholarship after a victory in a two-mile race at Madison Square Garden.

[4] After the Olympics were over Ross decided to stay in Europe and postpone his return trip to the United States because he wanted to compete in road races held in Ireland.

It was there that he discovered a vast resource of running talent, and when Ross returned home he promptly alerted "Jumbo" of his findings.

Argentine officials debated for two hours whether their actions violated rules requiring athletes to make an effort to win before finally allowing the results to stand, ranking Stone as first after a close examination of the finish photo.