Horace Odell
 Odell in 1934 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 5, 1910[1] Richmond Hill, Queens, U.S. |
| Died | January 22, 1984 (aged 73) Venice, Florida, U.S. |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Javelin throw |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | 67.64 m (1934)[1] |
Horace Paul "Hop" Odell, Jr. (September 5, 1910 – January 22, 1984) was an American javelin thrower. Odell was IC4A champion in 1933 and 1934 and United States champion in 1935.
Biography[edit]
Odell was born in the Richmond Hill neighborhood in Queens, New York City.[2] His father, Horace Sr., had a track and field background and had been part of a record-setting Irish American Athletic Club relay team in 1907.[3][4] The younger Odell represented the New York Athletic Club and Manhattan College, and won the 1933 IC4A javelin throw championship with a throw of 205 ft 1⁄2 in (62.49 m).[5] He placed third at the national championships later that year.[6] He graduated Manhattan College in 1935.
Odell repeated as IC4A champion in 1934, defeating Stanford's Johnny Mottram, who had been the favorite.[7] The following week, aided by a tailwind,[8] he threw 221 ft 11 in (67.64 m) at the N.Y.A.C. Games; it was the best throw by an American that year, within a foot of James DeMers's American record,[8][9][10] and remained a meeting record until 1963.[11] Despite this, Odell only placed fourth at the 1934 national championships[6] and fifth at the NCAA championships.[12]
In 1935 Odell only placed third at the IC4A championships (Mottram won)[13] and fourth at the NCAA meet (Charles Gongloff won),[12] but won his first title at the national championships with a throw of 217 ft 1+5⁄8 in (66.18 m).[6][14] Entering 1936, a panel of leading coaches considered Odell likely to qualify for the United States team for the 1936 Summer Olympics.[15] He won at the Eastern Tryouts, a qualifying meet for the final Olympic Trials, with a throw of 213 ft 9 in (65.15 m);[16] in another pre-Trials meet, the national championships (held separately from the Trials for the first time since 1924), he placed second behind Mottram.[6] At the final Trials, however, Odell didn't place in the top six and the three Olympic spots went to Lee Bartlett, Malcolm Metcalf and Alton Terry.[17]
Odell later made a living as a real estate salesman.[2] He died in Venice, Florida in January 1984.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Horace O'dell. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ a b c "Horace Odell". Syracuse Herald Journal. February 6, 1984. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "Deaths". The Post-Standard. February 13, 1952. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "Lead World In Athletic Skill". Scranton Republican. February 16, 1908. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "Summaries of Meet Show Few Records Broken". Berkeley Daily Gazette. May 27, 1933. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "Stanford Captures Easy Triumph in I. C. 4-A. Championships". The San Bernardino County Sun. May 27, 1934. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ a b "Six Records Fall in New York A.C. Track, Field Games; 10,000 Attend". Daily Illini. June 3, 1934. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "Blast Records In Six Events At Field Meet". The Anniston Star. June 3, 1934. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "USA Top 10 Lists – 1934". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "7 Records Broken In NYAC Meet". Corpus Christi Caller Times. June 9, 1963. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ a b Hill, E. Garry. "A History of the NCAA Championships: Javelin" (PDF). Track & Field News. Retrieved November 27, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Trojans Qualify Squad of Twenty in I.C.A.A.A.A. Meet". Chicago Tribune. June 1, 1935. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "Summary of Lincoln Meet". Nevada State Journal. July 5, 1935. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ Gould, Alan (March 25, 1935). "Coast Leads In Olympic Stars". Prescott Evening Courier. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Olympic Semifinals Find Upsets On All Sides". Syracuse Herald. June 28, 1936. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ Hymans, Richard. "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field". USA Track & Field; Track & Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 26, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2014.