Tom Courtney

Tom Courtney From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olympic medal record
Men's athletics
Competitor for the United States
Gold 1956 Melbourne 800 metres
Gold 1956 Melbourne 4x400 metres relay

Thomas ("Tom") William Courtney (born August 17, 1933) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Tom Courtney came into national prominence while a student at Fordham University, winning the 1955 NCAA 880 yd (805 m) title.

An AAU champion in 400 m at 1956 and in 880 yd (805 m) at 1957 and 1958, Courtney had a memorable duel with Derek Johnson of Great Britain in the 1956 Olympic 800 m final. Johnson took a narrow lead with 40 metres to go, but finally Courtney won by 0.13 seconds, and collapsed with exhaustion. He later wrote:

"It was a new kind of agony for me. My head was exploding, my stomach ripping and even the tips of my fingers ached. The only thing I could think was, 'If I live, I will never run again.'"
The medal ceremony had to be delayed for an hour while he and Johnson recovered. But Courtney did run again. He was the anchorman on the gold medal 4 x 400 m relay team. He also set a world record of 1:46.8 in the 880 yd (805 m) on May 24, 1957.

Courtney received a bachelor's degree from Fordham University in 1955, and since 1994, the (autographed) varsity jacket from his college track days hangs in a display case along with similar memorabilia from other great Fordham athletes, such as Vince Lombardi.

References[edit]USATF Hall of Fame Bio

Sports Reference

[show]v ·t ·eOlympic Champions in Men's 800 m

1896: Edwin Flack (AUS) ·1900: Alfred Tysoe (GBR) ·1904: James Lightbody (USA) ·1908: Mel Sheppard (USA) ·1912: Ted Meredith (USA) ·1920: Albert Hill (GBR) ·1924: Douglas Lowe (GBR) ·1928: Douglas Lowe (GBR) ·1932: Tommy Hampson (GBR) ·1936: John Woodruff (USA) ·1948: Mal Whitfield (USA) ·1952: Mal Whitfield (USA) ·1956: Tom Courtney (USA) ·1960: Peter Snell (NZL) ·1964: Peter Snell (NZL) ·1968: Ralph Doubell (AUS) ·1972: Dave Wottle (USA) ·1976: Alberto Juantorena (CUB) ·1980: Steve Ovett (GBR) ·1984: Joaquim Cruz (BRA) ·1988: Paul Ereng (KEN) ·1992: William Tanui (KEN) ·1996: Vebjørn Rodal (NOR) ·2000: Nils Schumann (GER) ·2004: Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS) ·2008: Wilfred Bungei (KEN) ·2012: David Rudisha (KEN)

[show]v ·t ·eOlympic Champions in Men's 4×400 m relay

US National Championship winners in Men's 400m

1876-1979
Amateur Athletic Union 1876-77: Edward Merritt ·1878: Frank Brown ·1879-84: Lon Myers ·1885: H. Mason Raborg ·1886: John Robertson ·1887: Harvey Banks ·1888: Walter Dohm ·1888: T.J. Mahoney ·1889: Walter Dohm ·1890-92: Walter Downs ·1893: Edward Allen ·1894: Tom Keane ·1895-97: Thomas Burke ·1898-1900: Maxie Long ·1901: Howard Hayes ·1902: Fay Moulton ·1903: Harry Hillman ·1904: D.H. Meyer ·1905-06: Frank Waller ·1907: John Taylor ·1908: Harry Hillman ·1909: Edward Lindberg ·1910: William Hayes ·1911: Edward Lindberg ·1912: Thomas Halpin ·1913: Carroll Haff ·1914-15: Ted Meredith ·1916: Thomas Halpin ·1917: Frank Shea ·1918: Cornelius Shaughnessy ·1919-20: Frank Shea ·1921: William Stevenson ·1922: James Driscoll ·1923: Horatio Fitch ·1924: James Burgess ·1925: Cecil Cooke ·1926: Ken Kennedy ·1927: Hermon Phillips ·1928: Ray Barbuti ·1929: Reggie Bowen ·1930-31: Vic Williams ·1932: Bill Carr ·1933-34: Ivan Fuqua ·1935: Eddie O'Brien ·1936: Harold Smallwood ·1937-38: Ray Malott ·1939: Erwin Miller ·1940-41: Grover Klemmer ·1942-43: Cliff Bourland ·1944: Elmore Harris ·1945: Herb McKenley ·1946: Elmore Harris ·1947-48: Herb McKenley ·1949-51: George Rhoden ·1952: Mal Whitfield ·1953: Jesse Mashburn ·1954: Jim Lea ·1955: Charles Jenkins ·1956: Tom Courtney ·1957: Reggie Pearman ·1958-59: Eddie Southern ·1960-61: Otis Davis ·1962-63: Ulis Williams ·1964: Mike Larrabee ·1965: Ollan Cassell ·1966-69: Lee Evans ·1970-71: John Smith ·1972: Lee Evans ·1973-74: Maurice Peoples ·1975: Dave Jenkins ·1976: Maxie Parks ·1977: Robert Taylor ·1978: Maxie Parks ·1979: Willie Smith

1980-1992
The Athletics Congress 1980: Willie Smith ·1981-82: Cliff Wiley ·1983: Sunder Nix ·1984-85: Mark Rowe ·1986: Darrell Robinson ·1987: Butch Reynolds ·1988: Tim Simon ·1989: Antonio Pettigrew ·1990: Steve Lewis ·1991: Antonio Pettigrew ·1992OT: Danny Everett

1992 onwards
USA Track & Field 1993: Michael Johnson ·1994: Antonio Pettigrew ·1995-96OT: Michael Johnson ·1997: Antonio Pettigrew ·1998-99: Jerome Young ·2000OT: Michael Johnson ·2001: Derrick Brew ·2002: Angelo Taylor ·2003: Tyree Washington ·2004OT-05: Jeremy Wariner ·2006: Andrew Rock ·2007: Angelo Taylor ·2008OT-09: LaShawn Merritt ·2010: Greg Nixon ·2011: Tony McQuay ·2012OT: LaShawn Merritt

Notes Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships ·OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.

[show]v ·t ·eUS National Championship winners in Men's 800m

1876-2011 1876: Harold Lambe ·1877: Romulus Colgate ·1878: Edward Merritt ·1879-80: Lon Myers ·1881: Walter Smith ·1882: William Goodwin ·1883: Tom Murphy ·1884: Lon Myers ·1885: Herbert Mitchell ·1886: Charles Smith ·1887-88: George Tracey ·1888: Wm. Moffatt ·1889: R.A. Ward ·1890: Harry Dadmun ·1891: Walter Dohm ·1892-93: Theodore Turner ·1894-96: Charles Kilpatrick ·1897: John Cregan ·1898: Thomas Burke ·1899: Herbert Manvel ·1900: Alex Grant ·1901: Howard Hayes ·1902: John Wright ·1903-04: Howard Valentine ·1905: James Lightbody ·1906-08: Mel Sheppard ·1909: Clar. Edmundsen ·1910: Harry Gissing ·1911-12: Mel Sheppard ·1913-14: Homer Baker ·1915: Leroy Campbell ·1916: Don Scott ·1917: Mike Devaney ·1918: Tom Campbell ·1919: Joie Ray ·1920: Earl Eby ·1921-22: Alan Helffrich ·1923: Ray Watson ·1924: Edward Kirby ·1925: Alan Helffrich ·1926: Alva Martin ·1927: Ray Watson ·1928: Lloyd Hahn ·1929: Phil Edwards ·1930-32: Ed Genung ·1933: Glenn Cunningham ·1934: Ben Eastman ·1935: Elroy Robinson ·1936: Charles Beetham ·1937: John Woodruff ·1938: Howard Borck ·1939-41: Charles Beetham ·1942: John Borican ·1943: Bill Hulse ·1944-45: Bob Kelley ·1946: John Fulton ·1947: Reggie Pearman ·1948: Herb Barten ·1949-51: Mal Whitfield ·1952: Reggie Pearman ·1953-54: Mal Whitfield ·1955-56: Arnie Sowell ·1957-58: Tom Courtney ·1959: Tom Murphy ·1960: Jim Cerveny ·1961: Jim Dupree ·1962: Jerry Siebert ·1963: Bill Crothers ·1964: Jerry Siebert ·1965: Morgan Groth ·1966: Tom Farrell ·1967-68: Wade Bell ·1969: Byron Dyce ·1970: Ken Swenson ·1971: Juris Luzins ·1972: Dave Wottle ·1973-74: Rick Wohlhuter ·1975: Mark Enyeart ·1976: James Robinson ·1977: Mark Belger ·1978-82: James Robinson ·1983: Dave Patrick ·1984: James Robinson ·1985-87: Johnny Gray ·1988: Mark Everett ·1989: Johnny Gray ·1990-91: Mark Everett ·1992: Johnny Gray ·1993-94: Mark Everett ·1995: Brandon Rock ·1996: Johnny Gray ·1997-98: Mark Everett ·1999: Khadevis Robinson ·2000: Mark Everett ·2001-03: David Krummenacker ·2004: Jonathan Johnson ·2005-07: Khadevis Robinson ·2008-12: Nicholas Symmonds

Notes Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships ·OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.

Persondata
Name Courtney, Tom
Alternative names
Short description Athletics (sport) competitor
Date of birth August 17, 1933
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tom_Courtney&oldid=556877346"
Categories: 1933 birthsLiving peopleAmerican sprintersAmerican middle-distance runnersAthletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer OlympicsFordham University alumniOlympic track and field athletes of the United StatesOlympic gold medalists for the United StatesOlympic medalists in athletics (track and field)Navigation menuPersonal tools
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This page was last modified on 26 May 2013 at 15:20.

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