Nathaniel Cartmell

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Nathaniel Cartmell

Medal record
Men's athletics
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1908 London Medley relay
Silver 1904 St. Louis 100 metres
Silver 1904 St. Louis 200 metres
Bronze 1908 London 200 metres

Nathaniel John Cartmell (January 13, 1883 - August 23, 1967), also known as Nat and Nate, was an American athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games. He is also known for being the first head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team.

Nickname

While the reason why Cartmell was nicknamed "Bloody Neck" is not entirely known, author Ken Rappoport speculates that it either comes from his use of the term Bloody due to the fact his family came from Cartmel, England, or from the fact that he had a childhood accident where he lost two and a half fingers from his right hand when an ax slipped while he was chopping wood.[1]

1904 Summer Olympics

In the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, Cartmell won silver medals in both the 100 metre dash and the 200 metre straightaway. He also participated in the 60 metres event but was eliminated in the repechage.

1908 Summer Olympics

Cartmell was a member of the gold medal American medley relay team at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. He was the second runner on the squad, running 200 metres. He followed William Hamilton and was followed by John Taylor and Mel Sheppard. In both the first round heat and the final Cartmell received a lead from Hamilton and built upon it before turning over the race to Taylor. The team won both races, running the 1,600 metres in 3:27.2 in the first round and 3:29.4 in the final. Cartmell's split for the final was 22.2 seconds.

He won the bronze medal in the 200 metre race at the same Games, taking his second medal in the event. In the first round, Cartmell won with a time of 23.0 seconds. The second round resulted in a 22.6-second time and another win. Cartmell placed third in the final with a time of 22.7 seconds.

In the 100 metres, Cartmell placed fourth. He won his first round heat and semifinal with times of 11.0 and 11.2 seconds, respectively. He ran the final in 11.0 seconds.

Anecdote about run-in with cop

While at the 1908 Olympics, Cartmell reportedly got into a fight with a policemen who "thrust hiself into [Cartmell's] face and jabbered something." In response, Cartmell took the policeman's hand, pushed him and then ran off knowing that the policeman could not catch him on foot. Later, the police showed up at the hotel where the track team for the U.S. team was staying and arrested Charles Hollaway, another member of the team that looked like Cartmell. Cartmell later found out about the mistaken arrest and tried to do something about it, but by the time Cartmell got to the police station Hollaway had already been bailed out and nothing more became of it.[2]

North Carolina head coach

Bynum Gymnasium, the first home of the North Carolina Tar Heels
Coach Nathaniel Cartmell and the 1910-11 men's basketball team

Cartmell came to UNC in 1909 as a track-and-field coach for the Tar Heels.[3] In 1910, student Marvin Rich along with certain school officials helped lobby to create a varsity basketball squad at UNC.[3] There was no coach for this basketball program, and UNC did not have enough money at the time to hire another full-time coach for this sport.[3] Cartmell was asked to be the first coach even though he did not know much about the sport.[3] Cartmell coached his first college basketball game on January 27, 1910 when UNC's varsity basketball team played in their first intercollegiate basketball game in Bynum Gymnasium against Virginia Christian College, which later became Lynchburg College.[3] The Tar Heels won their first game 42-21.[3] The Tar Heels would end their first season with a 7-4 record.[4]

In 1914, Cartmell was charged with illegally playing dice with known gamblers and was fired after the 1914 season.[5] He would be replaced by Charles Doak.[5]

Later life

Cartmell went on to coach track and sometimes basketball at West Virginia University, Princeton University, Fordham University, Manhattan College and LaSalle Military Academy. He also coached track and field and cross country at Penn State from 1923 to 1933 before ending his career at the United States Military Academy in 1956. Recognized as one of the most respected athletes and coaches of his era, Nathaniel John Cartmell died in his home in New York City on August 23, 1967.[6]

Cartmell served as the track coach at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.[7]

Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
North Carolina Tar Heels (No conference) (1910–1914)
1910–11 North Carolina 7–4
1911–12 North Carolina 4–5
1912–13 North Carolina 4–7
1913–14 North Carolina 10–8
North Carolina: 25–24[8]
Total: 25–24

      National champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference tournament champion
      Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference division champion

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Rappoport 2002, p. 4
  2. ↑ Rappoport 2002, p. 5
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Powell 2005, p. 9
  4. ↑ Powell 2005, p. 10
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Powll at 11
  6. ↑ http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/people/1800s/cartmell_nathl_john.html
  7. ↑ Penn State "Family" at the Olympics
  8. ↑ 2007-08 North Carolina men's basketball media guide 2007, p.177

Sources

External links

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