Mel Patton
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Athletics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1948 London | 200 metres | |
| Gold | 1948 London | 4x100 m Relay | |
Melvin Emery "Mel" Patton (born November 16, 1924) is an American former athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
[edit] Biography
Born in Los Angeles, California, 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, where he was coached by famous Dean Cromwell.
He won the NCAA 100 yd (91 m) dash title in 1947 and in 1948 and 1949 completed the 100 and 220 yd (91 and 201 m) sprint double at that same meet. In 1947, he tied the 100 yd (91 m) dash world record of 9.4, then lowered it to 9.3 the following year. In 1949, he set a 220 yd (201 m) world record on a straightaway of 20.2, breaking a Jesse Owens record.
In the Olympic Trials, he suffered a rare loss to Barney Ewell in the 100 m final, then in the Olympic Games placed only fifth in the 100 m. He atoned for that disappointment by taking two gold medals in the 200 m and the 4 x 100 m relay.
After retiring from competition, he was a track coach before entering the electronics industry.
[edit] External links
| Olympic champions in men's 200 m |
|---|
| 1900: John Tewksbury | 1904: Archie Hahn | 1908: Bobby Kerr | 1912: Ralph Craig | 1920: Allen Woodring | 1924: Jackson Scholz | 1928: Percy Williams | 1932: Eddie Tolan | 1936: Jesse Owens | 1948: Mel Patton | 1952: Andy Stanfield | 1956: Bobby Joe Morrow | 1960: Livio Berruti | 1964: Henry Carr | 1968: Tommie Smith | 1972: Valeri Borzov | 1976: Don Quarrie | 1980: Pietro Mennea | 1984: Carl Lewis | 1988: Joe DeLoach | 1992: Mike Marsh | 1996: Michael Johnson | 2000: Konstantinos Kenteris | 2004: Shawn Crawford |
| Olympic champions in men's 4×100 m relay |
|---|
| 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 |
| 1948 United States Barney Ewell, Lorenzo Wright, Harrison Dillard & Mel Patton |
