Ivan William Fuqua (August 9, 1909 – January 14, 1994) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 athlete, a gold medal winner in the 4x400 m relay

Relay race

During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...

 at the 1932 Summer Olympics

1932 Summer Olympics

The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...

 in Los Angeles. Fuqua was born in Decatur, Illinois

Decatur, Illinois

Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...

, and graduated from Brazil High School in Brazil, Indiana

Brazil, Indiana

Brazil is a city in Clay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 7,912 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Clay County. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, where he set multiple track and field school records. He then went on to play football and excel in track and field at Indiana University

Indiana University

Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

, Bloomington, Indianahttp://books.google.com/books?id=8uobLCQZlhAC&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=ivan+fuqua+brazil+indiana&source=bl&ots=GpvNoMg_JF&sig=req6mlVyS3VPGXTxSNM7LrauWx8&hl=en&ei=Tn5DS4SBBM6mlAfBioWRBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CB0Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=ivan%20fuqua%20brazil%20indiana&f=false.

Fuqua was an AAU

Amateur Athletic Union

The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 champion in 400 m in 1933 and 1934. At the Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 Olympics

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

, or Games of the X Olympiad, Fuqua ran the opening leg in the American 4x400 m relay team, winning the gold medal - Indiana University's first - with a new world record

World record

A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...

of 3:08.2.

After graduation, Ivan Fuqua was appointed track coach at Connecticut State (now the University of Connecticut). He entered the Navy during World War II, and was discharged in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant commander. He joined Brown University as a coach. He stayed there as head coach from 1947 until 1973, when he retired. He later became a manager and co-owner of a beach club in Rhode Island.

In 1968, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Famehttp://www.riheritagehalloffame.org/inductees.asp?yearFilter=alpha&a=F. in 1981, Fuqua was inducted into the Brown University Hall of Famehttp://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/Databases/Encyclopedia/search.php?serial=T0130.

Ivan Fuqua died in Providence, Rhode Island at the age of 84.