Robert Simpson (athlete)
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Robert Ingalls Simpson (May 25, 1892 – November 10, 1974) was an American
hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...
and
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
coach. Simpson set several
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 ...
s in the 120 yd hurdles, equaled the world record in the 220 yd hurdles, and won two gold medals at the 1919
Inter-Allied Games The Inter-Allied Games was a one-off multi-sport event held from 22 June to 6 July 1919 at the newly constructed Pershing Stadium just outside Paris, France following the end of World War I. The host stadium had been built near the Bois de Vi ...
. He served in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in both
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s, rising to the rank of
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
by 1944. He was track and field head coach at first the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
and then
Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...
, and later in
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; he also coached Army athletes.


Athletic career


Early life

Simpson grew up on his family's farm in
Bosworth, Missouri Bosworth is a city in Carroll County, Missouri, United States. The population was 213 at the 2020 U.S. Census. History Bosworth was laid out in 1888, and named for a settler. A post office called Bosworth has been in operation since 1888. Geo ...
. He was the oldest of three brothers and part of a track and field family; his younger brothers John Simpson and Chauncey Simpson followed him in the sport, as did his cousin, William Sylvester. Simpson first became an athlete at Bosworth High School, but did not yet take up hurdling; instead, he excelled in the
long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
and
high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...
and also competed in the
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s, becoming known as the "one-man track team". In addition, he played
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
. After graduating from high school in 1913 Simpson entered the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
, where he was coached by Henry F. Schulte. Schulte introduced Simpson to hurdling in his
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...
year, and the 120 yd (109.7 m) high hurdles and the 220 yd (201.2 m) low hurdles soon became his main events, though he continued to also compete as a sprinter and long jumper. Rather than relying on his sprinter's speed, Simpson became known for the efficient hurdling technique that he developed with Schulte, based on keeping his arms lined up with the track while jumping over a hurdle, as opposed to the sideways arm action of other hurdlers of the time. While he attempted to minimize the margins by which he cleared the hurdles, he very rarely knocked any hurdles over, and at the time, only runs with no hurdles toppled could be officially ratified as records.


1915

Simpson's first major race in the 120 yd hurdles was at the April 1915
Penn Relays The Penn Relays (officially The Penn Relay Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012 ...
. Still little-known outside his native Missouri, Simpson faced a strong field that included Fred W. Kelly, the 1912
Olympic champion This article includes lists of all Olympic medalists since 1896, organized by each Olympic sport or discipline, and also by Olympiad. Medalist with most medals by sport Summer Olympic sports Sports that will appear in the 2028 Summer Olympics ar ...
and
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 ...
holder at 15.0. Kelly won, but only defeated Simpson by inches. At the
Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...
meet at the end of May Simpson won the high hurdles in 15.0, equaling Kelly's record; he also won the low hurdles and the long jump. The following week he won a hurdles double at the Western Conference meet, again running 15.0 in the high hurdles and a meeting record 24.6 in the low hurdles. At the 1915
national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
Simpson placed fourth in the low hurdles and crossed the finish line in third place in the high hurdles, behind Kelly and
Feg Murray Frederic Seymour Murray (May 15, 1894 – July 16, 1973), known as Fred Murray or Feg Murray, was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 110 meter hurdles. He won a bronze medal in the 1920 Summer Olympics. After his athletic ca ...
. However, Kelly was disqualified for knocking down four hurdles (three was the limit), making Simpson the runner-up.


1916

Simpson reached his peak in 1916. He won the high hurdles at the 1916 Penn Relays, again equaling Kelly's world record of 15.0, even though no records had been expected due to the slow grass track. He then broke the record in a dual meet against
Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...
on May 6, running 14.8; he also won the low hurdles, the 100 yd dash and the long jump. The following week Simpson equaled his new record in another dual meet; this time, he won four additional events, with his long jump mark of 23 ft  in (7.18 m) being a new Missouri Valley record. His hurdles rivals were also in strong form, however; Kelly and Murray both ran 15.0 that spring, and on May 13
Earl Thomson Earl John "Tommy" Thomson (February 15, 1895 – May 19, 1971) was a Canadian athlete, a specialist in the high hurdles. In 1920 he became the first Olympic gold medalist in 110 m hurdles from outside the United States. Biography Born in Birc ...
, a Canadian-American, defeated them both in a
Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
race and tied Simpson's fresh record of 14.8. Simpson regained sole hold of the world record two weeks later at the 1916 Missouri Valley Conference championships, which Missouri hosted. He won the high hurdles in 14.6, improving his own world record by another fifth of a second, and equaled
Alvin Kraenzlein Alvin Christian "Al" Kraenzlein (December 12, 1876 – January 6, 1928) was an American track-and-field athlete known as "the father of the modern hurdling technique". He was the first sportsman in the history of the Olympic games to win four in ...
's world record of 23.6 in the low hurdles; in addition, he won the long jump. There were originally some doubts about whether this new record was valid, as although the required number of clocks timed him in 14.6 or faster, one clock caught him in 15.0; however, the following week Simpson won another hurdles double at the Western Conference meeting, again running 14.6 and removing all doubts. These times would remain his best. The 1916 national championships were held in Newark in September, with Simpson returning from several months of no competition. He faced Thomson, Kelly (who had also run 14.8) and Murray, and won in 14.8, a meeting record. This race was called the "greatest hurdle race in history" both before and after the meet, although the ''
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'' wrote that it "did not produce the sensation everybody expected" due to Simpson winning too comfortably; he was never behind and defeated Kelly by about two yards. In the fall Simpson toured
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with four other American athletes, including Murray; in
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, he won the 110 m hurdles in 14.8, which was a world record for the metric high hurdles, although the
International Amateur Athletic Federation World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, covering ...
never ratified it as one. By the end of the year Simpson had run under Kelly's old world record of 15.0 seven times, with record applications made for five of those times. '' Sporting Lifes Daniel Ferris named Simpson and
Ted Meredith James Edwin "Ted" Meredith (November 14, 1891 – November 2, 1957) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Biography Meredith made the 1912 Olympic team shortly after his graduation from Williamson Free ...
, who had broken the world records for both
440 yards The 440-yard dash, or quarter-mile race, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. In many countries, athletes compete in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m) – which corresponds to a quarter mile. Many athletic tracks are 440 yards ...
and
880 yards The 800 metres, or 800 meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event sin ...
, the leading American track and field athletes of 1916, while Lou Handley singled Simpson out in his ''
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'' recap of the year.


1917

Simpson was named
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of the
Missouri Tigers The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the "Fighting Tigers of Columbia" who, in 1864, protected Columbia ...
track and field team for 1917. He led the Tigers to another Missouri Valley Conference title, winning the long jump and both hurdles races. He also won all three events at the Western Conference meet; his winning time in the 220 yd low hurdles was 24.2, a world best for that distance around a curve. Simpson graduated from Missouri after the 1917 season, having also been successful academically; he was the inaugural recipient of a special award for the Missouri
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with the best scholarship marks. He missed the 1917 national championships, but was still named as the top high hurdler to both the
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
athletic team and the All-American collegiate team of the year.


Later career

After the 1917 season Simpson joined the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
and attended the officers' training camp at Fort Sheridan; he became a lieutenant and track and field instructor for the 91st Division. He resumed hurdling after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
was over, winning both the high hurdles and the low hurdles at the 1919
Inter-Allied Games The Inter-Allied Games was a one-off multi-sport event held from 22 June to 6 July 1919 at the newly constructed Pershing Stadium just outside Paris, France following the end of World War I. The host stadium had been built near the Bois de Vi ...
in
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; in the low hurdles he had lost to his own cousin, William Sylvester, in the American tryouts for the meet, but defeated him at the Games themselves. On September 7, 1919, Simpson won the 120 yd hurdles at the Knights of Columbus Olympics, an
Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...
meeting held at
Camp Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Fo ...
, defeating former national champion
Harold Barron Harold Earl Barron (August 29, 1894 – October 5, 1978) was an American sprinter. He specialized in the 110 m hurdles, in which he won a silver medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics. Nationally Barron won the AAU hurdles title in 1917 and 1920 an ...
; Simpson's time of 15.0 was the fastest in the world that year. A week later he won his second national championship title in the high hurdles, running 15.2 and beating Kelly and Barron; he also won the low hurdles in 24.4, his only national title in that event.


Coaching career

Simpson became the University of Missouri's head track coach after the 1919 season; the move ended his career as an athlete in his own right, as track and field was in the era of
amateurism An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History H ...
and university coaches were considered professionals. He stayed at Missouri until 1926, his star pupils being Olympic champion
Jackson Scholz Jackson Volney Scholz (March 15, 1897 – October 26, 1986) was an American sprint runner. In the 1920s, he became the first person to appear in an Olympic sprint final in three different Olympic Games. After his athletic career, he also gained ...
and Olympic silver medalist
Brutus Hamilton Brutus Kerr Hamilton (July 19, 1900 – December 28, 1970) was an American track and field athlete, coach and athletics administrator. Biography Hamilton was born in Peculiar, Missouri, and grew up on a farm next door to the Harry S. Truman fam ...
; he had worked with and guided Scholz even before officially becoming a coach. He also coached his own younger brother Chauncey, who later became a track,
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and
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coach at Missouri. Simpson's Tigers won the Missouri Valley Conference team championship twice, in 1920 and 1925. After the 1926 season Simpson moved to
Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...
, coaching the track team there until 1937; his students there included
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. ...
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champions
Ray Conger Raymond Milton Conger (November 12, 1904 – October 23, 1994) was an American Middle distance running, middle-distance runner. He held the world record for the 1,000 yards and the American record for the 1500 metres, 1,500 metres. In the U.S. ...
and Ray Putnam. In 1939 Simpson became a coach and athletic director in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, where he stayed for the next years despite
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Later life

Simpson re-enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 with the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, gaining promotion to
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
in 1944. After the war he served as the Army's track and field director in Europe; he was recalled up to the United States in 1948 to coach Army and
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
Olympic hopefuls at the
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in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
. Simpson remained active in track and field as a meeting official after leaving the Army in 1950. He died in
Los Angeles 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, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
on November 10, 1974.


Personal life

Simpson married Meryl Leavell, women's
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
champion at the University of Missouri, in May 1918 after a short engagement. They had a daughter named Phyllis and a son named Robert.


Legacy

Simpson is a charter member of both 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 ...
and the
University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the "Fighting Tigers of Columbia" who, in 1864, protected Columbia f ...
. He was inducted into the
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1994 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons, the Hall of Fame is housed in a two-story, 32,000-square-foot building. On display are more than 4,0 ...
in 1963.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Robert 1892 births 1974 deaths American male hurdlers Iowa State Cyclones track and field coaches Missouri Tigers men's track and field athletes Missouri Tigers track and field coaches World record setters in athletics (track and field) United States Army officers People from Carroll County, Missouri Track and field athletes from Missouri