Leslie MacMitchell
Encyclopedia
Thomas Leslie MacMitchell (September 26, 1920 – March 21, 2006) was an American athlete who competed in several events in the late 1930s and 1940s, including the mile run. He won numerous races while attending New York University
(NYU) and earned the James E. Sullivan Award
, the top U.S. award for amateur athletes, in 1941. That year, he also gained a share of the world record for an indoor mile run. After serving in World War II, MacMitchell had some success, but his performance declined, and he never went to an Olympic Games
.
when he was seven years old; the illness forced him to be confined to a bed for four months, and to re-learn how to walk afterward. MacMitchell later went to Manhattan's George Washington High School
, where he displayed his track abilities with high school national championships in two events: the 1,000-yard run and cross country
.
cross country championship. By the early 1940s, MacMitchell had gained a reputation as a leading American runner, particularly in the mile. One writer predicted that MacMitchell would be the first man to accomplish a four-minute mile
, and that he would later "be hailed as the greatest runner of all time". At the 1941 Baxter Mile, he ran the mile in 4:07.4 seconds, tying the world indoor record held by Glenn Cunningham and Chuck Fenske. In the meets held at Madison Square Garden
that year, MacMitchell was undefeated in the mile in five races. In 1941, he also won the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) outdoor mile national championship, along with outdoor and indoor IC4A victories. MacMitchell was the Amateur Athletic Union
's (AAU) champion of the 1500 meters
, and won every cross country event he entered, the fourth consecutive year he did so. He won his third consecutive Intercollegiate cross country title, on top of a 1938 victory in the championship for freshmen. In December 1941, MacMitchell was announced to be the leading vote-getter for the James E. Sullivan Award; this made him the first winner of the award not to have graduated from college, as he was in his senior year at NYU at the time. He was the youngest recipient of the Sullivan Award at the time, and was the first winner from New York state.
In 1942, MacMitchell won the Millrose Games
' Wanamaker Mile
, posting a 4:11.3 time. He built a streak of mile race wins that reached 19 in 1942, before Gil Dodds
defeated him at the AAU national championship. He also finished in second place at the NCAA Championships, behind Bobby Ginn. That month, he graduated from NYU with a physical education degree. His career was then interrupted by World War II. MacMitchell served in the U.S. Navy
as a lieutenant.
in a time of 4:14.1. In February, he recorded a victory in the AAU national championship. MacMitchell had eight straight indoor victories in the mile, a streak ended with a second-place finish at the Chicago Relays, in which he fell during lap nine. Despite his wins, MacMitchell remained unsatisfied with his performance; he later attributed this to his military service, saying "Running on the steel deck of a light cruiser is not the best way to train." He later attempted to qualify for the 1948 Summer Olympics
, but was unsuccessful; he retired from competition afterward.
. Another of MacMitchell's post-athletics jobs was with Brooklyn Dodgers
president Walter O'Malley
, who hired him as an assistant. He continued working until 2001. In his personal life, MacMitchell was married twice, first to Mary Lee and then Jill Kudlich after divorcing Lee. He had four children and three grandchildren. In 2005, MacMitchell died in San Jose
, California, after coming down with pneumonia.
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU) and earned the James E. Sullivan Award
James E. Sullivan Award
The James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...
, the top U.S. award for amateur athletes, in 1941. That year, he also gained a share of the world record for an indoor mile run. After serving in World War II, MacMitchell had some success, but his performance declined, and he never went to an Olympic Games
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...
.
Early life
Born in New York City, MacMitchell suffered from diphtheriaDiphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
when he was seven years old; the illness forced him to be confined to a bed for four months, and to re-learn how to walk afterward. MacMitchell later went to Manhattan's George Washington High School
George Washington High School (New York City)
George Washington High School is a public high school located in the Fort George neighborhood of the Washington Heights section of Manhattan in New York City, New York....
, where he displayed his track abilities with high school national championships in two events: the 1,000-yard run and cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
.
Pre-World War II career
In 1939 and 1940, MacMitchell won the IC4AIC4A
IC4A or ICAAAA is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year....
cross country championship. By the early 1940s, MacMitchell had gained a reputation as a leading American runner, particularly in the mile. One writer predicted that MacMitchell would be the first man to accomplish a four-minute mile
Four-minute mile
In the sport of athletics, the four-minute mile is the act of completing the mile run in less than four minutes. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister in 3:59.4. The 'four minute barrier' has since been broken by many male athletes, and is now the standard of all male professional...
, and that he would later "be hailed as the greatest runner of all time". At the 1941 Baxter Mile, he ran the mile in 4:07.4 seconds, tying the world indoor record held by Glenn Cunningham and Chuck Fenske. In the meets held at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden (1925)
Madison Square Garden was an indoor arena in New York City, the third of that name. It was built in 1925 and closed in 1968, and was located on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets in Manhattan on the site of the city's trolley car barns. It was the first Garden that was not located near...
that year, MacMitchell was undefeated in the mile in five races. In 1941, he also won the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) outdoor mile national championship, along with outdoor and indoor IC4A victories. MacMitchell was the Amateur Athletic Union
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...
's (AAU) champion of the 1500 meters
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
, and won every cross country event he entered, the fourth consecutive year he did so. He won his third consecutive Intercollegiate cross country title, on top of a 1938 victory in the championship for freshmen. In December 1941, MacMitchell was announced to be the leading vote-getter for the James E. Sullivan Award; this made him the first winner of the award not to have graduated from college, as he was in his senior year at NYU at the time. He was the youngest recipient of the Sullivan Award at the time, and was the first winner from New York state.
In 1942, MacMitchell won the Millrose Games
Millrose Games
The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet held on the first Friday in February in New York City. They will be held at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011...
' Wanamaker Mile
Wanamaker Mile
The Wanamaker Mile is an event held annually at the Millrose Games in New York City's Madison Square Garden.The event is an indoor one-mile race. It was first held in 1908, and in 1926 became known as the "Wanamaker." It is named in honor of the head of the Wanamaker's Department Store in New...
, posting a 4:11.3 time. He built a streak of mile race wins that reached 19 in 1942, before Gil Dodds
Gil Dodds (athlete)
Gilbert Lothair Dodds , called "The Flying Parson", was an American distance runner and athlete. In the 1940s, he held the American and world records for the mile run. He was awarded the James E...
defeated him at the AAU national championship. He also finished in second place at the NCAA Championships, behind Bobby Ginn. That month, he graduated from NYU with a physical education degree. His career was then interrupted by World War II. MacMitchell served in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as a lieutenant.
Post-war career
After the Navy discharged MacMitchell, he returned to competition in January 1946. Following third- and first-place finishes, respectively, in the Metropolitan AAU (indoor) and Grover Cleveland events, he made a successful comeback to the mile run, winning an event sponsored by The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
in a time of 4:14.1. In February, he recorded a victory in the AAU national championship. MacMitchell had eight straight indoor victories in the mile, a streak ended with a second-place finish at the Chicago Relays, in which he fell during lap nine. Despite his wins, MacMitchell remained unsatisfied with his performance; he later attributed this to his military service, saying "Running on the steel deck of a light cruiser is not the best way to train." He later attempted to qualify for the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
, but was unsuccessful; he retired from competition afterward.
Later life
Before the end of his athletics career, NYU gave MacMitchell a job in administration. In future years, he worked in multiple positions related to education, including a three-decade stint with the College BoardCollege Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
. Another of MacMitchell's post-athletics jobs was with Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
president Walter O'Malley
Walter O'Malley
Walter Francis O'Malley was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from to . He served as Brooklyn Dodgers chief legal counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the racial color barrier in...
, who hired him as an assistant. He continued working until 2001. In his personal life, MacMitchell was married twice, first to Mary Lee and then Jill Kudlich after divorcing Lee. He had four children and three grandchildren. In 2005, MacMitchell died in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, California, after coming down with pneumonia.