Melvin Emery Patton (November 16, 1924 – May 9, 2014) was an American sprinter, who set the world record of 9.2 seconds in the 100 yard dash in 1948. He also set a 220 yd world record in 1949 on a straightaway of 20.2, breaking the record held by

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who made history at the Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first person to win four gold meda ...

. Patton won two

gold medals 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 ...

at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

. He was ranked first in the world in the 100 m and 200 m events in 1947 and 1949.

Biography

Born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, 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 The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, where he was coached by

Dean Cromwell Dean Bartlett Cromwell (September 20, 1879 – August 3, 1962), nicknamed "Maker of Champions", was an American athletic coach in multiple sports, principally at the University of Southern California (USC). He was the head coach of the USC track ...

. During his collegiate years, Patton was a member of the Delta-Eta chapter of

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig or KSig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fr ...

fraternity. He also attended University High School in Los Angeles. Patton 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. ...

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 A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

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

. In the Olympic Trials, he suffered a rare loss to Barney Ewell in the 100 m final, then in 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 ...

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. Mel Patton with family 1949

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 Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

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 Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. He was inducted into the

National Track and Field Hall of Fame National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

in 1985, and died in

Fallbrook, California Fallbrook is a census-designated place in northern San Diego County, California. It had a population of 32,267 at the 2020 census. Fallbrook is immediately east of the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton. It is known for its avocado groves and c ...

on May 9, 2014. He was married to Shirley and had a daughter Susan and a son named Gary. :File:Mel Patton with family 1949.jpg Mel-Patton-TIME-1948

Competition record

References

External links

An Olympian’s Oral History – Melvin Patton
1924 births 2014 deaths American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field USC Trojans men's track and field athletes University High School (Los Angeles) alumni Track and field athletes from Los Angeles United States Navy pilots of World War II United States Navy personnel of World War II NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub