Online Encyclopedia
Mel Patton
Melvin Emery "Mel" Patton (born November 16, 1924) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
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.
External links
| Olympic medalists in athletics (men) | Olympic Champions in Men's 200 m |
| John Tewksbury | Archie Hahn | Bobby Kerr | Ralph Craig | Allen Woodring | Jackson Scholz | Percy Williams | Eddie Tolan | Jesse Owens | Mel Patton | Andy Stanfield | Bobby Joe Morrow | Livio Berruti | Henry Carr | Tommie Smith | Valeri Borzov | Don Quarrie | Pietro Mennea | Carl Lewis | Joe DeLoach | Mike Marsh | Michael Johnson | Konstantinos Kenteris | Shawn Crawford |
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Olympic medalists in athletics (men) | Olympic Champions in Men's 4x100 m relay
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1912 Great Britain David Jacobs, Henry Macintosh, Victor d'Arcy & William Applegarth 1920 United States Charlie Paddock, Jackson Scholz, Loren Murchison & Morris Kirksey 1924 United States Loren Murchison, Louis Clarke, Frank Hussey & Alfred LeConey 1928 United States Frank Wykoff, James Quinn, Charles Borah & Henry Russell 1932 United States Robert Kiesel, Emmett Toppino, Hector Dyer & Frank Wykoff 1936 United States Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Foy Draper & Frank Wykoff 1948 United States Barney Ewell, Lorenzo Wright, Harrison Dillard & Mel Patton 1952 United States Dean Smith, Harrison Dillard, Lindy Remigino & Andy Stanfield 1956 United States Ira Murchison , Leamon King, Thane Baker & Bobby Joe Morrow 1960 United team of Germany Bernd Cullmann , Armin Hary, Walter Mahlendorf & Martin Lauer 1964 United States Otis Drayton , Gerald Ashworth , Richard Stebbins & Bob Hayes 1968 United States Charles Greene , Melvin Pender , Ronnie Ray Smith & Jim Hines 1972 United States Larry Black , Robert Taylor , Gerald Tinker & Edward Hart 1976 United States Harvey Glance , John Wesley Jones , Millard Hampton & Steven Riddick 1980 Soviet Union Vladimir Muravyov , Nikolay Sidorov , Aleksandr Aksinin & Andrey Prokofyev 1984 United States Sam Graddy , Ron Brown , Calvin Smith & Carl Lewis 1988 Soviet Union Viktor Bryzgin , Vladimir Krylov , Vladimir Muravyov & Vitaly Savin 1992 United States Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell & Carl Lewis 1996 Canada Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin & Donovan Bailey 2000 United States Jon Drummond , Bernard Williams , Brian Lewis & Maurice Greene 2004 Great Britain Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish & Mark Lewis-Francis |