This Day in Track & Field–May 12
1888–Yale’s Charles Sherrill is credited with becoming the first man to use the “crouching” start in a sprint race (at least in the U.S.–see below). Sherrill won the 100y and 220y at a meet sponsored by the Rockaway Hunting Club in Cedarhurst, Long Island.
In addition to winning 7 IC4A sprint titles in the late 1880s (4-100y/1887-1890, 3-220y/1888-1890), Sherrill was also the 1887 U.S. Champion in the 100-yard dash.
In an era when there were fewer restrictions on eligibility, Sherrill also finished 2nd in the IC4A 100 in 1886. In 1894, he organized the first international collegiate track meet, a match between Yale and Oxford. Sherrill went on to have a distinguished career as a lawyer, a U.S. ambassador, and as a pivotal member of the International Olympic Committee.
Sherrill reportedly learned the new starting technique from famed coach Mike Murphy, who observed runners such as New Zealand’s Bobby MacDonald using the innovative style on the professional circuit in Australia and New Zealand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_H._Sherrill_(ambassador)
(For Subscribers) NY Times Obituary(1936): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/06/26/87953037.html?pageNumber=19
Murphy: https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/michael-c-murphy/
1924–Former BYU Cougar Clint Larsen cleared 6-9 ½ (2.07m) in an exhibition High Jump in Magna, Utah. He had earlier cleared 6-7 7/8 (2.02+) in an unofficial meet in 1917. The World Record at the time of both jumps was 6-7 5/16 (2.01+), but neither of Larsen’s marks were ratified by the IAAF.
1928—Stanford’s Emerson “Bud” Spencer set a World Record of 47.0 for 400-meters at the Pacific AAU meet on his home track. The previous record of 47.6 was set by Great Britain’s Eric Liddell (“Chariots of Fire”) in 1924.
Spencer went on to win the NCAA title the following month and was a member of the U.S. team that won the 4×400 (and set a World Record) at the Olympics in Amsterdam.
Hugo “Swede” Leistner, the 1925 NCAA Champion while at Stanford, set an American Record of 14.8 in the 120y-hurdles.
WR Progression: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men’s_400_metres_world_record_progression
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79077
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Spencer
Leistner: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Leistner
1956–Two sporting legends tied for first place in the High Jump at the West Coast Relays in…
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