American athlete and politician (1910?1978)
Ralph Harold Metcalfe Sr.
(May 29, 1910 ? October 10, 1978) was an American track and field
sprinter
and politician. He jointly held the
world record
in the
100-meter dash
and placed second in that event in two Olympics, first to
Eddie Tolan
in 1932 at
Los Angeles
and then to
Jesse Owens
at the
1936 Olympics
in
Berlin
,
Germany
. Metcalfe won four Olympic medals and was regarded as the world's fastest human in 1934 and 1935.
[1]
He later went into politics in the city of Chicago and served in the
United States Congress
for four terms in the 1970s as a
Democrat
from
Illinois
.
Track and field career
[
edit
]
Born in
Atlanta
, Georgia, Metcalfe grew up in Chicago and graduated high school from
Tilden Tech
in 1930.
[2]
He accepted a track
scholarship
to
Marquette University
in
Milwaukee
,
Wisconsin
, and equaled the record of 10.3 seconds in the 100 m on a number of occasions, as well as equaling the
200 m
record of 20.6 seconds. He became the first man to win the
NCAA
200 m title three times consecutively.
[3]
At the
1932 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles, he virtually dead-heated with his rival
Eddie Tolan
, with the gold medal awarded to Tolan only after extended study of the photograph; both recorded a time of 10.38 seconds in the
100 meters
. Metcalfe also earned a bronze medal at these games, in the
200 meters
.
He competed again at the
1936 Summer Olympics
in Berlin, and again took silver in the
100 meters
, this time behind four-time gold medalist Owens. They won
gold
in the
4×100 meter relay
with
Foy Draper
and
Frank Wykoff
; the U.S. won by 1.1 seconds over runner-up Italy, and Germany took bronze. Fierce rivals on the track, Metcalfe and Owens became lifelong friends.
[4]
Olympic controversies
[
edit
]
1932
[
edit
]
Metcalfe was convinced to the end of his life that the 100 m should have been awarded as a tie between him and Eddie Tolan: "I have never been convinced I was defeated. It should have been a tie"
[5]
Film evidence and that of observers of the race seem to support Metcalfe's verdict. The
AAU
later changed their rules to have the winner being the first athlete to cross the line not merely breast the tape. It was the latter that Tolan was judged to have done first. The AAU went further and awarded the race as a tie but the
International Olympic Committee
has never agreed to this change. They maintain the result stands because the judges decided in line with the rules at the time that Eddie Tolan's entire torso had passed the finish line on the ground before Metcalfe's.
[6]
In addition, even though credited with same time as Tolan, 10.3 s, a time that equaled the then world record, Metcalfe's time was never ratified as a world record.
In the 200 m, Metcalfe was embroiled in further controversy. Observers at the time claimed the marking for his starting holes were 3?4 feet behind where they should have been. Others claimed this discrepancy was the result of an optical illusion because George Simpson in the lane outside cut his holes on the outside of his lane whilst Metcalfe used the inside of his. In any case, Metcalfe was offered a re-run but refused because he feared the United States would not be able to repeat its 1?2?3.
[6]
1936
[
edit
]
In the sprint relay, Metcalfe became involved in a controversy not of his own making. Originally the United States chose for the relay the athletes who had come 4th to 7th in the trials. Two of these athletes,
Sam Stoller
and
Marty Glickman
, were replaced with Metcalfe and Jesse Owens allegedly because the former were Jewish. Metcalfe and Owens were undoubtedly the superior sprinters but they had not done the relay baton practice and the switch went against established practice.
[5]
Whilst all world attention was on
Jesse Owens
winning the gold in the 100m it is often ignored that Metcalfe won the silver in an equally outstanding performance.
United States Championships
[
edit
]
Metcalfe was United States Champion at 100 m between 1932 and 1934 (and was 2nd in 1935?36) and at 200 m between 1932 and 1936.
[7]
In all he won 16 national titles at the AAU Championships, NCAA Championships and Final Olympic Trials.
[5]
[8]
World records
[
edit
]
Metcalfe 16 times broke or equaled world record times at various distances. However, only 5 of these were ever officially ratified by the athletics governing body, the
IAAF
. The ratified times were:
[9]
- equaled the world record for 100 m of 10.3 s on:
- August 12, 1933 in Budapest, Hungary.
- September 15, 1934 in Nishinomiya, Japan.
- September 23, 1934 in Darien, Japan.
- equaled the world record for 200 m (straight course) of 20.6 s on August 12, 1933 in Budapest, Hungary.
- broke the world record for the 4 × 100 m relay with 39.8 s on August 9, 1936 (United States 1936 Olympics team of
Jesse Owens
-Metcalfe-
Foy Draper
-
Frank Wykoff
).
Military and political career
[
edit
]
After earning his bachelor's degree at Marquette in 1936, Metcalfe completed a master's degree at the
University of Southern California
in Los Angeles in 1939. Metcalfe taught political science and coached track at
Xavier University
in
New Orleans
, recruiting athletes to the university like
Jimmie McDaniel
and
Herb Douglas
. He served in the
transportation corps
of
U.S. Army
in
World War II
, rising to the rank of
first lieutenant
and awarded the
Legion of Merit
medal. After the war, he moved back to Chicago and later headed the state's athletic commission.
In 1955, Metcalfe won the first of four elections as an
alderman
representing the
South Side
of Chicago. He ran for an open seat in Congress in
1970
as a Democrat and was easily elected from Illinois' first district. The seat had been filled for 28 years by
William L. Dawson
, who was retiring at age 84 due to poor health and then died less than a week after the 1970 election. Metcalfe was a co-founder of the
Congressional Black Caucus
(CBC) in 1971 and later was noted for breaking ranks with Chicago mayor
Richard Daley
after incidents of police brutality.
Death
[
edit
]
While running for re-election in
1978
, Metcalfe died from a heart attack at his South Side apartment on October 10, at the age of 68. He had previously had a heart attack in 1967.
[10]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Metcalfe married Gertrude Eva Pemberton on June 9, 1937, at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas.
[11]
They divorced in Los Angeles, California in 1943. Metcalfe married Madalynne Fay Young in 1947,
[12]
and they had one son, Ralph Metcalfe Jr., a
blues
music historian.
[13]
Metcalfe was a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity
,
Alpha Sigma Nu
honor society, the
Knights of Peter Claver
, and Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Chicago's
Bronzeville
neighborhood.
[14]
He had converted to
Catholicism
in 1932, while an undergraduate at Marquette.
[15]
[16]
Legacy
[
edit
]
A federal office building in Chicago (at 77 W. Jackson Blvd.) was named for Metcalfe upon its completion in 1991.
[17]
Metcalfe was inducted into the
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
in 1975 and named a member of the President's
Commission on Olympic Sports
.
In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including interviews with Metcalfe's son, was documented in the film
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice
.
[18]
Electoral history
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Bochat, Rel (October 11, 1978).
"Marquette track got Metcalfe off 'n' running"
.
Milwaukee Sentinel
. p. 1, part 2.
- ^
Kuechle, Oliver E. (March 21, 1933).
"Ralph Metcalfe set high school records right and left"
.
Milwaukee Journal
. p. 4, part 2.
- ^
2006 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships Results and Records
.
NCAA
(2006). Retrieved on May 11, 2022.
- ^
Muwakki, Salim (October 18, 1999).
"A Father's Life: Ralph Metcalfe Sr"
.
Chicago Tribune
. Retrieved
March 24,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
Duncanson, Neil, "The Fastest Men on Earth", Andre Deutsch, 2011
- ^
a
b
Henderson, Jon (June 26, 2012).
"Great Olympic Moments: Tolan beats Metcalfe after dead heat at 1932 Games"
.
The Telegraph
. Archived from
the original
on July 18, 2012.
- ^
"A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014"
.
Track and Field News
.
- ^
"UNITED STATES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN)"
. www.gbrathletics.com
. Retrieved
January 12,
2015
.
- ^
Imre Matrahazi (ed.). Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition. IAAF Athletics. p. 500.
- ^
"Ralph Metcalfe dead: Congressman, 68, climbed the ranks".
Chicago Tribune
. October 11, 1978. p. 1.
- ^
Gertrude Pemberton in the Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records
. Accessed via ancestry.com paid subscription site 15 January 2024.
- ^
"Madalynne Y. Metcalf"
.
Chicago Tribune
. January 21, 1999
. Retrieved
March 24,
2014
.
- ^
A Father's Life
. By Salim Muwakkil. Chicago Tribune. Published 18 October 1999. Accessed 15 January 2024.
- ^
Hylton, J. Gordon (September 21, 2010).
"Another little-known fact: Ralph Metcalfe was a Marquette law student (at least for a while)"
. Marquette University Law School
. Retrieved
March 24,
2014
.
- ^
Metcalfe, Ralph H. (1938).
"A Race Well Run"
.
Catholicism.org
. Retrieved
March 24,
2014
.
- ^
Rhoads, Mark (November 13, 2006).
"Illinois Hall of Fame: Ralph Metcalfe"
. Retrieved
March 24,
2014
.
- ^
"Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building"
. U.S. General Services Administration
. Retrieved
March 24,
2014
.
- ^
Henderson, Odie (August 5, 2016).
"Olympic Pride, American Prejudice movie review (2016)"
.
RogerEbert.com
. Retrieved
April 11,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
"Downloadable Vote Totals"
.
Illinois State Board of Elections
. Retrieved
September 27,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
- 1912
:
David Jacobs
,
Henry Macintosh
,
Victor d'Arcy
,
Willie Applegarth
(
GBR
)
- 1920
:
Charley Paddock
,
Jackson Scholz
,
Loren Murchison
,
Morris Kirksey
(
USA
)
- 1924
:
Loren Murchison
,
Louis Clarke
,
Frank Hussey
,
Al LeConey
(
USA
)
- 1928
:
Frank Wykoff
,
James Quinn
,
Charley Borah
,
Henry Russell
(
USA
)
- 1932
:
Bob Kiesel
,
Emmett Toppino
,
Hector Dyer
,
Frank Wykoff
(
USA
)
- 1936
:
Jesse Owens
,
Ralph Metcalfe
,
Foy Draper
,
Frank Wykoff
(
USA
)
- 1948
:
Barney Ewell
,
Lorenzo Wright
,
Harrison Dillard
,
Mel Patton
(
USA
)
- 1952
:
Dean Smith
,
Harrison Dillard
,
Lindy Remigino
,
Andy Stanfield
(
USA
)
- 1956
:
Ira Murchison
,
Leamon King
,
Thane Baker
,
Bobby Morrow
(
USA
)
- 1960
:
Bernd Cullmann
,
Armin Hary
,
Walter Mahlendorf
,
Martin Lauer
(
EUA
)
- 1964
:
Paul Drayton
,
Gerry Ashworth
,
Richard Stebbins
,
Bob Hayes
(
USA
)
- 1968
:
Charles Greene
,
Mel Pender
,
Ronnie Ray Smith
,
Jim Hines
(
USA
)
- 1972
:
Larry Black
,
Robert Taylor
,
Gerald Tinker
,
Eddie Hart
(
USA
)
- 1976
:
Harvey Glance
,
Lam Jones
,
Millard Hampton
,
Steve Riddick
(
USA
)
- 1980
:
Vladimir Muravyov
,
Nikolay Sidorov
,
Aleksandr Aksinin
,
Andrey Prokofyev
(
URS
)
- 1984
:
Sam Graddy
,
Ron Brown
,
Calvin Smith
,
Carl Lewis
(
USA
)
- 1988
:
Viktor Bryzhin
,
Vladimir Krylov
,
Vladimir Muravyov
,
Vitaliy Savin
(
URS
)
- 1992
:
Michael Marsh
,
Leroy Burrell
,
Dennis Mitchell
,
Carl Lewis
,
James Jett
(
USA
)
- 1996
:
Robert Esmie
,
Glenroy Gilbert
,
Bruny Surin
,
Donovan Bailey
,
Carlton Chambers
(
CAN
)
- 2000
:
Jon Drummond
,
Bernard Williams
,
Brian Lewis
,
Maurice Greene
,
Tim Montgomery
,
Kenny Brokenburr
(
USA
)
- 2004
:
Jason Gardener
,
Darren Campbell
,
Marlon Devonish
,
Mark Lewis-Francis
(
GBR
)
- 2008
:
Keston Bledman
,
Marc Burns
,
Emmanuel Callender
,
Richard Thompson
,
Aaron Armstrong
(
TTO
)
- 2012
:
Nesta Carter
,
Michael Frater
,
Yohan Blake
,
Usain Bolt
,
Bailey-Cole
(
JAM
)
- 2016
:
Asafa Powell
,
Yohan Blake
,
Nickel Ashmeade
,
Usain Bolt
,
Jevaughn Minzie
,
Kemar Bailey-Cole
(
JAM
)
- 2020
:
Lorenzo Patta
,
Marcell Jacobs
,
Fausto Desalu
,
Filippo Tortu
(
ITA
)
|
|
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1876?1878
New York Athletic Club
| |
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1879?1888
NAAAA
| |
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1888?1979
Amateur Athletic Union
| |
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1980?1992
The Athletics Congress
| |
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1993?present
USA Track & Field
| |
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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.
- 2020 OT
: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
.
- Distance
:Until 1927 the event was over 100 yards, and again from 1929-31
- ro
:In 1886 the event was won after a run-off
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1876?1878
New York Athletic Club
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1879?1888
NAAAA
| |
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1888?1979
Amateur Athletic Union
| |
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1980?1992
The Athletics Congress
| |
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1993?onwards
USA Track & Field
| |
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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.
- 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
.
- *USA: Leading American athlete
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1906?1979
Amateur Athletic Union
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1980?1992
The Athletics Congress
| |
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1993?present
USA Track & Field
| |
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Held over 60 yards from 1906 to 1986, with the exception of 1933?39 (60 meters) and 1913?15 (75 meters). Held over 55 meters from 1987?90.
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Qualification
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Men's track
and road athletes
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Men's field athletes
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Women's track athletes
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Women's field athletes
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Non-competing relay pool members
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Coaches
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Qualification
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Men's track
and road athletes
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Men's field athletes
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Women's track athletes
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Women's field athletes
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Non-competing relay pool members
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Coaches
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USTFCCCA
Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame
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Class of 2022
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Class of 2023
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Class of 2024
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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