Bob Osgood
Encyclopedia
Robert D. "Bob" Osgood was an American track and field athlete who set a world record in the 120-yard high hurdles in May 1937 with a time of 14 seconds flat. He also won the Big Ten Conference championship in the event in both 1936 and 1937. He was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
in 1983.
, where he was a state track champion in the 120-yard high hurdles. He graduated from Lakewood High School in 1933.
in 1934 where he ran track under renowned Michigan Track Coach Charles Hoyt
. At the 1936 Big Ten Conference track championship, Osgood won the 120-yard high hurdles in 1936 with a time of 14.2 seconds. His time in the high hurdles tied Percy Beard
's world record of 14.2 seconds." He also placed second to Jesse Owens
in the low hurdles. The 1936 race between Osgood and Owens is one of the most told stories about Jesse Owens. Owens started badly and was in last place (trailing by 18 to 20 yards). Osgood was leading and reportedly said that when Owens passed him, "it sounded like a thunderstorm."
At the end of the 1936 track season, Osgood was selected as the captain for the 1937 team.
in Ann Arbor
, Osgood broke the world's record for the 120-yard high hurdles with a time of 14.0 seconds, one-tenth of a second under the previous world record set by 1936 Olympic gold medalist, Forrest Towns
. The University of Michigan yearbook for 1937 noted that the race was run in the "driving rain, which soon turned the track into a miniature lake," requiring the athletes to splash their way "through the mud." The New York Times reported on Osgood's accomplishment as follows: "Captain Robert D. Osgood, a lanky senior from Lakewood, Ohio, scissored over the 120-yard high hurdles in the dazzling world-record time of 14 seconds today to embellish a smashing Michigan team triumph in the thirty-seventh annual Western Conference track and field championship meet."
Osgood's world record performance was cited at the end of 1937 as one of the highlights of the year's track season. One columnist described the performance as follows: "Driving through a sheet of rain that beat into his face with every stride, Bob Osgood shattered everything that had ever been done before in the 120-yard high hurdles in winning the Big Ten championship at Ann Arbor in 14 flat. This under miserable conditions on a wet and slow track." Another columnist noted that the "bespectacled young man" had set the record "in the rain and puddles of water," and asked, "What might Bob Osgood have done if the cinders had been dry and fast with no drizzle beating into his face?"
Osgood's world record was broken in April 1938 when Rice Institute's Fred Wolcott ran the 120-yard high hurdles with a downwind burst of 13.9 seconds.
in 1983. And in 1992, he was also posthumously inducted into the Lakewood Athletic Hall of Fame.
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
in 1983.
Early years in Ohio
Osgood was a native of Lakewood, OhioLakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
, where he was a state track champion in the 120-yard high hurdles. He graduated from Lakewood High School in 1933.
University of Michigan
Osgood enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1934 where he ran track under renowned Michigan Track Coach Charles Hoyt
Charles Hoyt
Charles Hoyt may refer to:*Charles Hale Hoyt - American dramatist*Charles B. Hoyt - American track athlete and coach...
. At the 1936 Big Ten Conference track championship, Osgood won the 120-yard high hurdles in 1936 with a time of 14.2 seconds. His time in the high hurdles tied Percy Beard
Percy Beard
Percy Morris Beard was an American college and international track and field athlete who specialized in the high hurdles event, and won an Olympic silver medal. Beard later became a nationally prominent college track and field coach at the University of Florida.- Athletic career :Percy Beard was...
's world record of 14.2 seconds." He also placed second to Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
in the low hurdles. The 1936 race between Osgood and Owens is one of the most told stories about Jesse Owens. Owens started badly and was in last place (trailing by 18 to 20 yards). Osgood was leading and reportedly said that when Owens passed him, "it sounded like a thunderstorm."
At the end of the 1936 track season, Osgood was selected as the captain for the 1937 team.
World record in the 120-yard high hurdles
The 1937 Michigan track team led by Osgood won the Big Ten Conference championship. At the Big Ten championship held in May 1937 at Ferry FieldFerry Field
Ferry Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It opened in 1906 and was home to the Michigan Wolverines football team prior to the Michigan Stadium opening in 1927. It had a capacity of 46,000....
in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Osgood broke the world's record for the 120-yard high hurdles with a time of 14.0 seconds, one-tenth of a second under the previous world record set by 1936 Olympic gold medalist, Forrest Towns
Forrest Towns
Forrest Grady "Spec" Towns was an American track and field athlete. He was the 1936 Olympic champion in the 110 m hurdles, and broke the World Record in that event three times....
. The University of Michigan yearbook for 1937 noted that the race was run in the "driving rain, which soon turned the track into a miniature lake," requiring the athletes to splash their way "through the mud." The New York Times reported on Osgood's accomplishment as follows: "Captain Robert D. Osgood, a lanky senior from Lakewood, Ohio, scissored over the 120-yard high hurdles in the dazzling world-record time of 14 seconds today to embellish a smashing Michigan team triumph in the thirty-seventh annual Western Conference track and field championship meet."
Osgood's world record performance was cited at the end of 1937 as one of the highlights of the year's track season. One columnist described the performance as follows: "Driving through a sheet of rain that beat into his face with every stride, Bob Osgood shattered everything that had ever been done before in the 120-yard high hurdles in winning the Big Ten championship at Ann Arbor in 14 flat. This under miserable conditions on a wet and slow track." Another columnist noted that the "bespectacled young man" had set the record "in the rain and puddles of water," and asked, "What might Bob Osgood have done if the cinders had been dry and fast with no drizzle beating into his face?"
Osgood's world record was broken in April 1938 when Rice Institute's Fred Wolcott ran the 120-yard high hurdles with a downwind burst of 13.9 seconds.
Honors
Osgood was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
in 1983. And in 1992, he was also posthumously inducted into the Lakewood Athletic Hall of Fame.