John Gates Powell (June 25, 1947 – August 19, 2022) was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the discus throw.

[5] He won the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Powell ran several annual weight-throwing camps with his fellow Olympian weight throwers.

Powell also coached a few of his young champion-level throwers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, nearly every week.

[citation needed] Powell also coached the throwers at Stanford University from 1981 to 1990.