This Day in Track & Field-January  26, Mel Sheppard sets the WIR at mile (1906), Steve Prefontaine breaks AR (1974), Born This Day, Jeanette Pickens-Bolden (1960), complied and edited by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field–January  26

1906—Mel Sheppard set a World Indoor Record of 4:25.2 for the Mile at a meet hosted by Columbia University at Madison Square Garden, and Lawson Robertson won the 300-yards in 33.4. Both events served as U.S. Championship races.

From the NY Times Archives: “The crowd was there, one of the largest that has ever been seen in the Garden during an athletic meet. The boxes were all occupied, chiefly by attractively gowned women, making the event characteristic of the annual open-air championship contests”.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/27/101710087.html?pageNumber=7

1916—USC’s Howard Drew made the most of his cross-country trip to NY’s Madison Square Garden, winning the 70-yard dash at the Millrose Games and tying the World Record of 7.2 that he already shared with others. It took officials some time before deciding that Drew had indeed beaten Guy Morse.

The meet drew such a big crowd that the Fire Department ordered the Garden doors to be closed well before 9pm.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1916/01/27/301838782.html?pageNumber=8

1952-A standing-room-only crowd of more than 15,000 watched some of the sport’s biggest names, many of whom went on to Olympic success in Helsinki later in the year, perform at the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden.

Don Gerhmann won his 4^th straight Wanamaker Mile, edging rival Fred Wilt by a foot. It was the 3^rd year in a row that Wilt had finished 2^nd to Gerhmann.

Two other Millrose streaks were extended by Bob Richards in the Pole Vault (15-0 [4.57]) and Harrison Dillard in the 60y-Hurdles (7.5). It was the 6^th straight win for both men, with Richards going on to win 11 straight times at Millrose and Dillard 9 times!

Morgan State’s George Rhoden (1:12.0) held off Charlie Moore to win the Mel Sheppard 600y, with Jamaica’s Herb McKinley trailing in 3^rd place.

Roscoe Lee Browne, who would later become a successful actor, won a slowish 880y (1:56.7) in a photo-finish over Mal Whitfield, Horace Ashenfelter (9:07.4) won the 2-mile, and Manhattan College’s Lindy Remigino (6.2) was the upset winner in the 60y-dash.

Remigino (100), Rhoden (400), Whitfield (800), Dillard (110-Hurdles), Moore (400-Hurdles), Ashenfelter (Steeplechase), and Richards (PV) all won Olympic gold in Helsinki. McKinley and Rhoden won gold in the 4×400 relay, while McKinley also won silver medals in the 100 and 400!