Lee Calhoun
Encyclopedia
Lee Quincy Calhoun (February 23, 1933 – June 22, 1989) was an American
athlete, a double winner of 110 m hurdles
at the Olympic Games
.
Born in Laurel, Mississippi
, Lee Calhoun, representing North Carolina Central University
, won the NCAA
120 yd hurdles in 1956 and 1957. He also won the AAU
championships in 110 m hurdles in 1956 and 1959 and in 120 yd hurdles in 1957.
At the 1956 Summer Olympics
Calhoun surprisingly improved his personal best in 110 m by almost a full second in a final. He ran 13.5 to win the gold medal
, edging teammate Jack Davis
with a lunge that just got his shoulder across the line in front. He had learned the maneuver from Davis.
Calhoun was suspended in 1958 for receiving gifts on "Bride and Groom," a television game show, and seemed to be past his prime for the 1960 Summer Olympics
. But shortly before the Rome
Olympics, he tied the world record of 13.2 and went to the Olympic Games as a main favourite. In the final, he won in 13.98, beating teammate Willie May
by 0.01 seconds.
After retiring from competition, he became a college track coach, first at Grambling State University
, then at Yale
, and finally at Western Illinois University
. He was an assistant Olympic coach at the 1976 Summer Olympics
.
He was elected to the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame
in 1974.
Lee Calhoun died in Erie, Pennsylvania
, aged 56.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete, a double winner of 110 m hurdles
110 metres hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight...
at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
Born in Laurel, Mississippi
Laurel, Mississippi
Laurel is a city located in Jones County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,393 although a significant population increase has been reported following Hurricane Katrina. Located in southeast Mississippi, southeast of...
, Lee Calhoun, representing North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
, won the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
120 yd hurdles in 1956 and 1957. He also won the AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
championships in 110 m hurdles in 1956 and 1959 and in 120 yd hurdles in 1957.
At the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
Calhoun surprisingly improved his personal best in 110 m by almost a full second in a final. He ran 13.5 to win the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, edging teammate Jack Davis
Jack Davis (athlete)
Jack Wells Davis is a former American athlete, silver medalist in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics over 110 meter high hurdles. Davis lost to Harrison Dillard in 1952 with the same time as the winner, and lost to Lee Calhoun in 1956, again with the same time as the winner...
with a lunge that just got his shoulder across the line in front. He had learned the maneuver from Davis.
Calhoun was suspended in 1958 for receiving gifts on "Bride and Groom," a television game show, and seemed to be past his prime for the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
. But shortly before the Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
Olympics, he tied the world record of 13.2 and went to the Olympic Games as a main favourite. In the final, he won in 13.98, beating teammate Willie May
Willie May
Willie May is a retired American hurdler.He won the silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. May ran 13.99 in that race and was beaten by Lee Calhoun, another American, who ran 13.98....
by 0.01 seconds.
After retiring from competition, he became a college track coach, first at Grambling State University
Grambling State University
Grambling State University is a historically black , public, coeducational university, located in Grambling, Louisiana. The university is the home of legendary football coach Eddie Robinson and is on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.-Academics:Grambling State University provides over...
, then at Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and finally at Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. Like many similar institutions of the time, Western Illinois State Normal School focused on teacher training for its relatively small body of students. As the normal school grew, it became...
. He was an assistant Olympic coach at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
.
He was elected to the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
in 1974.
Lee Calhoun died in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, aged 56.