Nathaniel Cartmell
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel John Cartmell (January 13, 1883 - August 23, 1967), also known as Nat and Nate, was an American
athlete who won medals at two editions of the Olympic Games
. He is also known for being the first head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
team.
due to the fact his family came from Cartmel
, England
, or from the fact that he had a childhood accident where he lost two and a half fingers from his right hand when an ax slipped while he was chopping wood.
in St. Louis, Missouri
, Cartmell won silver medal
s in both the 100 metre dash and the 200 metre straightaway. He also participated in the 60 metres event
but was eliminated in the repechage.
American medley relay
team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
in London
. He was the second runner on the squad, running 200 metres. He followed William Hamilton and was followed by John Taylor
and Mel Sheppard
. In both the first round heat and the final Cartmell received a lead from Hamilton and built upon it before turning over the race to Taylor. The team won both races, running the 1,600 metres in 3:27.2 in the first round and 3:29.4 in the final. Cartmell's split for the final was 22.2 seconds.
He won the bronze medal
in the 200 metre race
at the same Games, taking his second medal in the event. In the first round, Cartmell won with a time of 23.0 seconds. The second round resulted in a 22.6-second time and another win. Cartmell placed third in the final with a time of 22.7 seconds.
In the 100 metres
, Cartmell placed fourth. He won his first round heat and semifinal with times of 11.0 and 11.2 seconds, respectively. He ran the final in 11.0 seconds.
Cartmell came to UNC in 1909 as a track-and-field coach for the Tar Heels. In 1910, student Marvin Rich along with certain school officials helped lobby to create a varsity basketball squad at UNC. There was no coach for this basketball program, and UNC did not have enough money at the time to hire another full-time coach for this sport. Cartmell was asked to be the first coach even though he did not know much about the sport. Cartmell coached his first college basketball game on January 27, 1910 when UNC's varsity basketball team played in their first intercollegiate basketball game in Bynum Gymnasium
against Virginia Christian College, which later became Lynchburg College
. The Tar Heels won their first game 42-21. The Tar Heels would end their first season with a 7-4 record.
In 1914, Cartmell was charged with illegally playing dice with known gamblers and was fired after the 1914 season. He would be replaced by Charles Doak
.
, Princeton University
, Fordham University
, Manhattan College
and LaSalle Military Academy. He also coached track and field and cross country at Penn State from 1923 to 1933 before ending his career at the United States Military Academy
in 1956. Recognized as one of the most respected athletes and coaches of his era, Nathaniel John Cartmell died in his home in New York City on August 23, 1967.
Cartmell served as the track coach at the University of Pennsylvania
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete who won medals at two editions of the 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...
. He is also known for being the first head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
team.
Nickname
While the reason why Cartmell was nicknamed "Bloody Neck" is not entirely known, author Ken Rappoport speculates that it either comes from his use of the term BloodyBloody
Bloody is the adjectival form of blood but may also be used as an expletive attributive in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, South Africa , New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Anglophone Caribbean and Sri Lanka...
due to the fact his family came from Cartmel
Cartmel
Cartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, situated north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. Historically it was in Lancashire; boundary changes brought it into the newly created county of Cumbria in 1974, yet keeping it within the boundaries of the traditional County Palatine...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, or from the fact that he had a childhood accident where he lost two and a half fingers from his right hand when an ax slipped while he was chopping wood.
1904 Summer Olympics
In the 1904 Summer Olympics1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Cartmell won silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
s in both the 100 metre dash and the 200 metre straightaway. He also participated in the 60 metres event
Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics - Men's 60 metres
The men's 60 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. It was the second and last time the event was held at the Olympics. 12 athletes from 3 nations participated...
but was eliminated in the repechage.
1908 Summer Olympics
Cartmell was a member of the gold medalGold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
American medley relay
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's medley relay
The men's medley relay was run for the first time at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The event consisted of 1600 metres being run by four athletes per team. Unlike the later 4 x 400 metres relay, however, the athletes had different distances to run. In the medley, the first two runners each ran...
team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was the second runner on the squad, running 200 metres. He followed William Hamilton and was followed by John Taylor
John Taylor (athlete)
John Baxter Taylor Jr. was an American track and field athlete, notable as the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal...
and Mel Sheppard
Mel Sheppard
Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club and winner of four gold medals at the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics...
. In both the first round heat and the final Cartmell received a lead from Hamilton and built upon it before turning over the race to Taylor. The team won both races, running the 1,600 metres in 3:27.2 in the first round and 3:29.4 in the final. Cartmell's split for the final was 22.2 seconds.
He won the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the 200 metre race
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres
The men's 200 metre race was held for the third time at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The competition was held from July 21, 1908 to July 23, 1908.43 sprinters from 15 nations competed.-Records:...
at the same Games, taking his second medal in the event. In the first round, Cartmell won with a time of 23.0 seconds. The second round resulted in a 22.6-second time and another win. Cartmell placed third in the final with a time of 22.7 seconds.
In the 100 metres
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres
The men's 100 metres was the shortest of the sprint races at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The competition was held over the course of three days...
, Cartmell placed fourth. He won his first round heat and semifinal with times of 11.0 and 11.2 seconds, respectively. He ran the final in 11.0 seconds.
Anecdote about run-in with cop
While at the 1908 Olympics, Cartmell reportedly got into a fight with a policemen who "thrust hiself into [Cartmell's] face and jabbered something." In response, Cartmell took the policeman's hand, pushed him and then ran off knowing that the policeman could not catch him on foot. Later, the police showed up at the hotel where the track team for the U.S. team was staying and arrested Charles Hollaway, another member of the team that looked like Cartmell. Cartmell later found out about the mistaken arrest and tried to do something about it, but by the time Cartmell got to the police station Hollaway had already been bailed out and nothing more became of it.North Carolina head coach
Bynum Gymnasium
Bynum Gymnasium was the first home of North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball. It was built in 1904 as a general gymnasium and swimming pool, and hosted the basketball team for the first fourteen years of its existence . The most distinctive feature of the gymnasium was its second level...
against Virginia Christian College, which later became Lynchburg College
Lynchburg College
Lynchburg College is a private college in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA, related by covenant to the Christian Church with approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. The Princeton Review lists it as one of the 368 best colleges in the nation...
. The Tar Heels won their first game 42-21. The Tar Heels would end their first season with a 7-4 record.
In 1914, Cartmell was charged with illegally playing dice with known gamblers and was fired after the 1914 season. He would be replaced by Charles Doak
Charles Doak
-Sources:...
.
Later life
Cartmell went on to coach track and sometimes basketball at West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Manhattan College
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition in New York City, United States. Despite the college's name, it is no longer located in Manhattan but in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, roughly 10 miles north of Midtown. Manhattan College offers...
and LaSalle Military Academy. He also coached track and field and cross country at Penn State from 1923 to 1933 before ending his career at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1956. Recognized as one of the most respected athletes and coaches of his era, Nathaniel John Cartmell died in his home in New York City on August 23, 1967.
Cartmell served as the track coach at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.