Mel Patton

Mel Patton
Patton (left) with coach Dean Cromwell in 1948
Personal information
Born November 16, 1924
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died May 9, 2014 (aged 89)
Fallbrook, California, U.S.
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 72 kg (159 lb)
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s) Sprint
Club USC Trojans
Coached by Dean Cromwell[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 100 m – 10.44 (1948)
200 m – 20.7 (1948)[2]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1948 London200 m
1948 London4×100 m relay

Melvin Emery "Mel" Patton (November 16, 1924 – May 9, 2014) was an American sprinter, who won two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was ranked first in the world in the 100 m and 200 m events in 1947 and 1949.[2]

Biography

Born in Los Angeles, California, Mel Patton or Pell Mell, as he was nicknamed in the late 1940s, made his mark in track and field while a student at the University of Southern California, where he was coached by Dean Cromwell. During his collegiate years, Patton was a member of the Delta-Eta Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He also attended University High School in Los Angeles.

Patton won the NCAA 100-yard dash in 1947 and in 1948 and 1949 completed the 100 and 220 yd sprint double at that same meet. In 1947 he tied the 100 yd dash world record of 9.4, which he lowered it 9.3 the following year. In 1949 he set a 220 yd world record on a straightaway of 20.2, breaking the record held by Jesse Owens.[2]

In the Olympic Trials, he suffered a rare loss to Barney Ewell in the 100 m final, then in the Olympic Games placed only fifth in the 100 m. He atoned for that disappointment by taking two gold medals in the 200 m and the 4 × 100 m relay.

After retiring from competition, Patton participated in several professional races in Australia. Then he worked as a teacher and athletics coach at Long Beach City College and Wichita State University before becoming an executive in the aerospace and electronics industries. Previously he served in the U.S. Navy as a seaman and aviator during World War II. In the 1970s Patton helped develop the national sports program in Saudi Arabia. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1985,[1] and died in Fallbrook, California on May 9, 2014.[2][3] He was married to Shirley and had a daughter Susan and a son named Gary.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Mel Patton. National Track and Field Hall of Fame
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mel Patton. sports-reference.com
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ File:Mel Patton with family 1949.jpg



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.