SIKESTON, Mo. -- Ben Plucknett, one of the great American discus throwers who twice held the world record in the 1980s, died at his home of a brain aneurysm. He was 48.

Visitors to Plucknett's home in Essex found him soon after his collapse the morning of Sunday, Nov. 17 and summoned emergency help, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, said Tom Nunnelee, owner of Nunnelee Funeral Chapel in Sikeston.

Plucknett set the world discus record of 237 feet, 4 inches on July 7, 1981, in Stockholm, Sweden, according to USA Track & Field, the governing body of the sport in the U.S.

His showing in Stockholm broke his first world record, a throw of 233-7 set in Modesto, Calif., on May 16, 1981.

Plucknett's world record was broken by a 243-foot throw in 1986 by Jurgen Schult of Germany. Plucknett's mark, however, still stands as the top discus performance by a U.S. athlete.

''A testament to his greatness is how long the U.S. record has been in place. It's very, very impressive. He is one of the greatest throwers this country has produced,'' USA Track & Field spokesman Tom Surber said Tuesday.

Plucknett was born in Beatrice, Neb. At 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds when competing, Plucknett qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not participate because of the U.S. boycott of the Moscow games. He finished fourth in the 1988 Olympic trials, just short of qualifying for the U.S. team in Seoul.

He lettered in track and field at Missouri from 1973-76. In 2001, Plucknett was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame.

Plucknett, who was divorced, is survived by his mother, a brother and a sister.

The body was cremated and the family plans a private memorial service later, Nunnelee said. The family requested memorials be sent to the track and field program at Missouri.