 CHARLIE PADDOCK SPRINTS (Inducted 1976)
Born November 8, 1900, Gainesville, Texas. Died July 21, 1943.
The "World's Fastest Human" in the early 1920s, Charlie Paddock was noted for his unusual finishing style of leaping at the tape. But there was more to Paddock than just a leaping finish and he held several world records in the sprints besides being an Olympic gold medalist.
Outstanding at the University of Southern California where he was coached by Hall of Famer Dean Cromwell, Paddock won five National AAU sprint titles in the early 1920s, three of them in the 220. He also tied the world 100-meter dash record of 10.4 three times and was the first man to break 21 seconds for the 200. He competed in three Olympic Games, starting in 1920 when he was on the winning 4 x 100 relay team, also winning the 100 and taking second in the 200. In 1924, he again ran on the winning sprint relay team after taking fifth in the 100 and second in the 200. He later competed in the 1928 Games but failed to qualify in the 200. Later a movie actor, he died in a plane crash in World War II while serving in the Marines.
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