Harrison Dillard

Harrison Dillard
Dillard at 1952 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name William Harrison Dillard[1]
Born July 8, 1923 (1923-07-08) (age 95)[2]
Cleveland, Ohio[1]
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Weight 152 lb (69 kg)[1]
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 100 m, 200 m
110 m, 400 m hurdles
Club Baldwin-Wallace College
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 100 m – 10.50 (1948)
200 m – 20.8 (1948)
110 mH – 13.6 (1948)[1]
400 mH – 53.7 (1942)[3]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1948 London100 m
1948 London4×100 m relay
1952 Helsinki110 m hurdles
1952 Helsinki4×100 m relay
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt with Harrison Dillard holding the 1948 London Olympics torch, August 1, 2012.

William Harrison "Bones" Dillard (born July 8, 1923) is an American former track and field athlete, who alongside Walter Tewksbury and Harry Hillman is one of three males so far to win Olympic titles in both sprinting and hurdling events.

Early career

Dillard was born in Cleveland, Ohio, attended East Technical High School. He entered Baldwin-Wallace College in 1941 and joined Pi Lambda Phi International Fraternity, and two years later was drafted into the Army serving in the all-black 92nd Infantry Division known as the Buffalo Soldiers.[4] He returned to college in 1946 and resumed athletics, to which he had been inspired by Jesse Owens, who was also from Cleveland and had attended East Technical High School as well. He won the NCAA and AAU 120-yard and 220-yard hurdles in both 1946 and 1947 and he tied world records in both events with a 22.3 in the 220 in 1946 and a 13.6 in the 120.

Olympic Games

Official Video Highlights, Dillard winning 1948 100 meters Dillard winning 1952 110 meters hurdles

At the trials for the 1948 Summer Olympics, however, Dillard failed to qualify for the 110 m hurdles event, though he qualified as third (and last) for the 100 m, not his specialty.

At the Games, Dillard reached the final, which seemed to end in a dead heat between Dillard and another American, Barney Ewell. The finish photo showed Dillard had won, equalling the World record as well. This was the first use of a photo finish at an Olympic Games.[5] As a member of the 4 × 100 m relay team, he won another gold medal at the London Games.[1]

Four years later, still a strong hurdler, Dillard did qualify for the 110 m hurdles event, and won the event in Helsinki.[2] Another 4 × 100 m relay victory yielded Dillard's fourth Olympic title. Dillard attempted to qualify for a third Olympics in 1956, but failed. Earlier he took part in and won the gold medal in the 110m hurdles at the 1953 Maccabiah Games.[6][7]

Later years

Dillard worked for the Cleveland Indians baseball franchise in scouting and public relations capacities, and hosted a radio talk show on Cleveland's WERE. He also worked for the Cleveland City School District for many years as its Business Manager.[1]

Awards and honors

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Harrison Dillard". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Harrison Dillard". olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  3. ↑ Harrison Dillard. trackfield.brinkster.net
  4. ↑ Olympians Harrison Dillard and Herb Douglas recall life, times and the 1948 London Summer games
  5. ↑ Jackson, Peter (July 24, 2012) London's three Olympic Games compared
  6. ↑ http://www.drmirkin.com/histories-and-mysteries/mal-whitfield-olympian-and-tuskegee-airman.html
  7. ↑ YNET News: Maccabiah's Best Athletes. ynetnews.com (July 16, 2005)

Further reading

  • McGraw, Daniel (July 12, 2016). "The Forgotten Fastest Man". The Undefeated. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
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