Lee Quincy Calhoun (February 23, 1933 – June 21, 1989) was an American athlete, a double winner of 110 m hurdles at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

Biography

Born in

Laurel, Mississippi Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. Laurel is northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county ...

, Lee Calhoun graduated from Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana before representing North Carolina Central University, won the

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. ...

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 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 ...

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 A gold medal is a 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. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

, 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 The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

. But shortly before the

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

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 The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

. He was elected to the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974. Lee Calhoun died in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

, aged 56.

References

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External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Calhoun, Lee 1933 births 1989 deaths American male hurdlers North Carolina Central Eagles men's track and field athletes North Carolina Central University alumni Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Laurel, Mississippi Track and field athletes from Mississippi Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen