Ira James Murchison (February 6, 1933 – March 28, 1994) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

, winner of the gold medal in 4 × 100 m

relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switc ...

at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

. Born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, he attended Phillips High School. Murchison was noted for his exceptional speed from the starting block, which earned him a

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

''Human Sputnik''. Before the

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, Murchison equalled twice the 100 m

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of 10.2 and ran in

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a new world record of 10.1, thus becoming one of the favourites to win the 100 m Olympic gold medal. But at Melbourne, Murchison managed to finish only in a disappointing fourth place. He also ran the leadoff leg of the 4 × 100 m relay team for the United States, and helped the American team to a gold medal in a world record time of 39.5. He attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, but later transferred to Western Michigan. In 1957, Murchison repeated the world record of 9.3 and, as a

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

student, won the 1958

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

championships in . At the 1963

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

, Murchison finished third in the 100 m and helped the American 4 × 100 m relay team to win a gold medal. During the 1970s, Murchison was the coach of a women's track team in Chicago. One of the women he coached was 1976 Olympic sprinter, Rosalyn Bryant. Ira Murchison died of cancer in

Harvey, Illinois Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,324 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Harvey is bordered by the villages of Dixmoor, Illinois, Dixmoor and Riverdale, Illinois, Riverdale to the north; ...

, aged 61.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murchison, Ira 1933 births 1994 deaths American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1963 Pan American Games Iowa Hawkeyes men's track and field athletes Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Track and field athletes from Chicago Western Michigan Broncos men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen