Jump to content

George Brown (long jumper): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Cydebot (talk | contribs)
6,812,251 edits
m Robot - Moving category Sportspeople from Los Angeles, California to Category:Sportspeople from Los Angeles per CFD at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2016 September 6.
Rescuing 2 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v1.2.7.1)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''George Henry Brown, Jr.''' (born July 25, 1931)<ref name="sr">{{cite web |url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/george-brown-2.html |title=George Brown Bio, Stats and Results |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |accessdate=May 6, 2014}}</ref> is an American former [[long jump]]er. He was the world's best jumper between 1951 and 1953 and the favorite at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]], but he fouled on all his jumps in the [[Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|Olympic final]].
'''George Henry Brown, Jr.''' (born July 25, 1931)<ref name="sr">{{cite web|url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/george-brown-2.html |title=George Brown Bio, Stats and Results |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117010954/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/br/george-brown-2.html |archivedate=January 17, 2014 |df= }}</ref> is an American former [[long jump]]er. He was the world's best jumper between 1951 and 1953 and the favorite at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]], but he fouled on all his jumps in the [[Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|Olympic final]].


==Career==
==Career==
Line 14: Line 14:
Brown entered the 1952 [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic Trials]] as a clear favorite.<ref name="hymans52"/> He had won 41 consecutive competitions going back to 1950,<ref name="hymans52"/><ref name="aau"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/lubbock/morning-avalanche/1952/06-28/page-6 |newspaper=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]] |title=Darrow Hooper's Shotput Heave Assures Olympic Berth |author=Panama, Charles A. |date=June 28, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014}}</ref> and in a [[Coach (sport)|coaches]]' poll ahead of the Trials 29 of 31 respondents predicted that Brown would win.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/long-beach/long-beach-press-telegram/1952/06-26/page-27 |title=Stanfield and Moore are Unanimous Picks |author=Delano, Fred |newspaper=Long Beach Press-Telegram |date=June 26, 1952 |accessdate=May 2, 2014}}</ref> He did not, however, and nearly failed to even make the [[United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics|team]]; with only one round left, he had a best of 24&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|7|1|2}}&nbsp;in (7.50&nbsp;m) and was four inches behind Taylor, who held the third and final qualifying spot.<ref name="hymans52"/> On his last jump Brown improved to 25&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|1|1|2}}&nbsp;in (7.66&nbsp;m), overtaking Taylor by two inches to join Gourdine and [[Jerome Biffle]] on the Olympic team.<ref name="hymans52"/>
Brown entered the 1952 [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic Trials]] as a clear favorite.<ref name="hymans52"/> He had won 41 consecutive competitions going back to 1950,<ref name="hymans52"/><ref name="aau"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/lubbock/morning-avalanche/1952/06-28/page-6 |newspaper=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]] |title=Darrow Hooper's Shotput Heave Assures Olympic Berth |author=Panama, Charles A. |date=June 28, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014}}</ref> and in a [[Coach (sport)|coaches]]' poll ahead of the Trials 29 of 31 respondents predicted that Brown would win.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newspaperarchive.com/us/california/long-beach/long-beach-press-telegram/1952/06-26/page-27 |title=Stanfield and Moore are Unanimous Picks |author=Delano, Fred |newspaper=Long Beach Press-Telegram |date=June 26, 1952 |accessdate=May 2, 2014}}</ref> He did not, however, and nearly failed to even make the [[United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics|team]]; with only one round left, he had a best of 24&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|7|1|2}}&nbsp;in (7.50&nbsp;m) and was four inches behind Taylor, who held the third and final qualifying spot.<ref name="hymans52"/> On his last jump Brown improved to 25&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|1|1|2}}&nbsp;in (7.66&nbsp;m), overtaking Taylor by two inches to join Gourdine and [[Jerome Biffle]] on the Olympic team.<ref name="hymans52"/>


Despite his third place at the Trials Brown remained the Olympic favorite.<ref name="sr"/><ref name="tn">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19520721&id=PUcaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3CMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6474,884044 |date=July 21, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |title=Yanks Push Soviet Stars At Helsinki |author=Petersen, Leo H. |newspaper=[[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)|The Times-News]]}}</ref><ref name="stp"/> At the Olympics in [[Helsinki]] he cleared the qualification on his first attempt, jumping 24&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|1|8}}&nbsp;in (7.32&nbsp;m).<ref name="sr"/><ref name="tn"/> In the [[Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|final]], however, he fouled on all of his jumps and failed to register a valid mark;<ref name="sr"/><ref name="stp">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19520722&id=8hIwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I08DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3280,2798087 |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=July 22, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |title=Yanks Grab 4 Gold Medals, Take 1st In Olympics |author=Musel, Robert}}</ref><ref name="afro">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2211&dat=19520802&id=rdQmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kgIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=3365,8077571 |author=Stewart, Ollie |newspaper=[[The Afro-American]] |date=August 2, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |title=Ace Olympic Runners Had 2 Spangled Banner Days}}</ref> in muddy and slippery conditions most jumpers had problems hitting the board,<ref name="afro"/> but Brown and the Netherlands' [[Henk Visser (athlete)|Henk Visser]] were the only two to foul out.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1952/ATH/mens-long-jump.html |title=Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games: Men's Long Jump |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |accessdate=May 6, 2014}}</ref> The other Americans, Biffle and Gourdine, won gold and silver.<ref name="stp"/>
Despite his third place at the Trials Brown remained the Olympic favorite.<ref name="sr"/><ref name="tn">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19520721&id=PUcaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3CMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6474,884044 |date=July 21, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |title=Yanks Push Soviet Stars At Helsinki |author=Petersen, Leo H. |newspaper=[[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)|The Times-News]]}}</ref><ref name="stp"/> At the Olympics in [[Helsinki]] he cleared the qualification on his first attempt, jumping 24&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|1|8}}&nbsp;in (7.32&nbsp;m).<ref name="sr"/><ref name="tn"/> In the [[Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|final]], however, he fouled on all of his jumps and failed to register a valid mark;<ref name="sr"/><ref name="stp">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19520722&id=8hIwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I08DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3280,2798087 |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=July 22, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |title=Yanks Grab 4 Gold Medals, Take 1st In Olympics |author=Musel, Robert}}</ref><ref name="afro">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2211&dat=19520802&id=rdQmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kgIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=3365,8077571 |author=Stewart, Ollie |newspaper=[[The Afro-American]] |date=August 2, 1952 |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |title=Ace Olympic Runners Had 2 Spangled Banner Days}}</ref> in muddy and slippery conditions most jumpers had problems hitting the board,<ref name="afro"/> but Brown and the Netherlands' [[Henk Visser (athlete)|Henk Visser]] were the only two to foul out.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1952/ATH/mens-long-jump.html |title=Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games: Men's Long Jump |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |accessdate=May 6, 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323031823/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1952/ATH/mens-long-jump.html |archivedate=March 23, 2014 |df= }}</ref> The other Americans, Biffle and Gourdine, won gold and silver.<ref name="stp"/>


Despite his losses at the Trials and the Olympics, Brown still maintained his top spot in the ''Track & Field News'' rankings as the best jumper of 1952.<ref name="rank"/> He also topped the world list for the second consecutive year, {{frac|9|1|8}}&nbsp;in (23&nbsp;cm) ahead of Taylor.<ref name="yearly"/>
Despite his losses at the Trials and the Olympics, Brown still maintained his top spot in the ''Track & Field News'' rankings as the best jumper of 1952.<ref name="rank"/> He also topped the world list for the second consecutive year, {{frac|9|1|8}}&nbsp;in (23&nbsp;cm) ahead of Taylor.<ref name="yearly"/>

Revision as of 18:50, 9 January 2017

George Henry Brown, Jr. (born July 25, 1931)[1] is an American former long jumper. He was the world's best jumper between 1951 and 1953 and the favorite at the 1952 Summer Olympics, but he fouled on all his jumps in the Olympic final.

Career

Early career

Brown attended Jordan High School in Los Angeles, California,[2][3] and was unknown as an athlete until his breakthrough in the spring of 1948, his junior year.[2] In addition to long jumping, he was a good sprinter.[2] On April 1, 1949 he jumped 25 ft 2+1⁄2 in (7.68 m) in a dual meet against Huntington Park High School, breaking Jesse Owens's national high school record of 24 ft 11+1⁄4 in (7.60 m) from 1933;[2][3] however, although his record was statistically valid,[2] it didn't receive official NFHS ratification as marks from dual meets were ineligible.[4] Only one athlete of any age, Gay Bryan, exceeded Brown's jump that year,[5] and Track & Field News ranked Brown ninth in the world in its annual rankings.[6] He was Track and Field News "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1949.[7]

Brown graduated from high school that year and went to first Compton Junior College and then UCLA.[4] He failed to improve his personal long jump best in 1950,[8] but in 1951 he became the world's leading jumper, winning the NCAA[9] and United States championships[10] and topping both the world list and the Track & Field News rankings.[5][6] He went undefeated for the year,[11] with a best jump of 26 ft 1 in (7.95 m) from Tokyo on July 18.[8][12]

1952

Brown's good form continued in 1952. On May 10 he improved his personal best to 26 ft 3+1⁄4 in (8.00 m) at the West Coast Relays in Fresno, placing him third on the world all-time list behind Owens and 1948 Olympic champion Willie Steele.[13] At the NCAA championships his winning streak was seriously threatened by Buzz Taylor, but Brown's last-round leap of 25 ft 11+1⁄8 in (7.90 m) secured him another title and victory.[14] He also successfully defended his title at the national championships, jumping 25 ft 9 in (7.84 m) and defeating runner-up Meredith Gourdine by more than a foot.[10][15]

Brown entered the 1952 Olympic Trials as a clear favorite.[11] He had won 41 consecutive competitions going back to 1950,[11][15][16] and in a coaches' poll ahead of the Trials 29 of 31 respondents predicted that Brown would win.[17] He did not, however, and nearly failed to even make the team; with only one round left, he had a best of 24 ft 7+1⁄2 in (7.50 m) and was four inches behind Taylor, who held the third and final qualifying spot.[11] On his last jump Brown improved to 25 ft 1+1⁄2 in (7.66 m), overtaking Taylor by two inches to join Gourdine and Jerome Biffle on the Olympic team.[11]

Despite his third place at the Trials Brown remained the Olympic favorite.[1][18][19] At the Olympics in Helsinki he cleared the qualification on his first attempt, jumping 24 ft 1⁄8 in (7.32 m).[1][18] In the final, however, he fouled on all of his jumps and failed to register a valid mark;[1][19][20] in muddy and slippery conditions most jumpers had problems hitting the board,[20] but Brown and the Netherlands' Henk Visser were the only two to foul out.[21] The other Americans, Biffle and Gourdine, won gold and silver.[19]

Despite his losses at the Trials and the Olympics, Brown still maintained his top spot in the Track & Field News rankings as the best jumper of 1952.[6] He also topped the world list for the second consecutive year, 9+1⁄8 in (23 cm) ahead of Taylor.[5]

Later career

Brown joined the U.S. Army in 1953 but remained the world's top jumper, winning the United States championship with a jump of 25 ft 10+3⁄4 in (7.89 m)[10][22] and leading both the world list and the Track & Field News rankings for a third consecutive year.[5][6] In 1954 he was defeated at the national championships by John Bennett[10] and slipped to third behind Bennett and Hungary's Ödön Földessy in the world rankings.[6]

After an off year in 1955 Brown made a comeback in 1956.[8][23] At the national championships in Bakersfield he jumped 25 ft 5+1⁄4 m (7.75 m), his best jump since 1953;[23] he took second behind Ernie Shelby and defeated the eventual Olympic champion, Greg Bell, who was third.[10][24] At the Olympic Trials, however, he only placed 13th with a jump of 23 ft 8+1⁄4 (7.21 m) and failed to make the Olympic team.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "George Brown Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e "Track and Field Record 1949 Season" (pdf). Helms Athletic Foundation. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Delano, Fred (May 28, 1949). "In the Spotlight". Long Beach Press-Telegram. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "UCLA Hall Of Fame To Add Eight New Members". UCLA Athletics. October 30, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d "Track and Field Statistics". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e "World Rankings — Men's Long Jump" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved May 2, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ http://trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/component/content/article/35-stats/2114-t-fn-boys-hs-aoy
  8. ^ a b c "George Brown". trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  9. ^ Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved May 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b c d e Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2011". Track & Field News. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d e Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field" (PDF). USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Retrieved May 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "26-Foot Jump Features Meet". Reno Evening Gazette. July 18, 1951. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  13. ^ "Track Records Fall At Fresno". Winnipeg Free Press. May 10, 1952. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  14. ^ Delano, Fred (June 18, 1952). "Bruins' Broad Jumper Brown Best Bet To Retain AAU Crown". Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Skyline Sprint King Cops AAU Second". Salt Lake Tribune. June 21, 1952. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  16. ^ Panama, Charles A. (June 28, 1952). "Darrow Hooper's Shotput Heave Assures Olympic Berth". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  17. ^ Delano, Fred (June 26, 1952). "Stanfield and Moore are Unanimous Picks". Long Beach Press-Telegram. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Petersen, Leo H. (July 21, 1952). "Yanks Push Soviet Stars At Helsinki". The Times-News. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  19. ^ a b c Musel, Robert (July 22, 1952). "Yanks Grab 4 Gold Medals, Take 1st In Olympics". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  20. ^ a b Stewart, Ollie (August 2, 1952). "Ace Olympic Runners Had 2 Spangled Banner Days". The Afro-American. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  21. ^ "Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games: Men's Long Jump". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Santee Tries For Record". Racine Journal Times. June 27, 1953. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  23. ^ a b c Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field" (PDF). USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Retrieved May 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "Shelby Hits 26 ft. 1 1/4 in". Van Nuys News. June 24, 1956. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Brown_(long_jumper)&oldid=759187492"