Jack Keller (hurdler)
{{short description|American hurdler}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name =
| image =Hurdler Jack Keller 1929.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Keller in 1929
| birth_name =
| fullname =
| nationality =
| residence =
| birth_date = October 23, 1911
| birth_place =
| death_date = June 3, 1978 (aged 66)
| death_place = Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
| height = 193 cm
| weight = 77 kg
| country =
| sport = Athletics
| event = Hurdles
| pb =120 ydH – 14.1 (1933){{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ke/jack-keller-1.html |title=Jack Keller Bio, Stats and Results |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=June 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924084742/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ke/jack-keller-1.html |archive-date=September 24, 2013 }}[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=3263&Gender=M Jack Keller]. trackfield.brinkster.net
| club = Ohio State Buckeyes
| alma_mater =
| retired =
| olympics =
| highestranking =
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
}}
John Alton Claude Keller (October 23, 1911 – June 3, 1978) was an American hurdler who set world records in both 120 yard/110 meter and 220 yard events. He won the 110 m hurdles at the 1932 United States Olympic Trials, but narrowly missed out on a medal at the Olympics, placing a close fourth.
Hurdling career
Jack Keller studied at Ohio State University and succeeded sprinter George Simpson as the Ohio State Buckeyes' leading track and field star.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19340227&id=X2IhAAAAIBAJ&pg=3286,5040705 |newspaper=Reading Eagle |title=New Colored Track Star May Prove Greatest of His Race |date=February 21, 1934 |access-date=June 16, 2013}} As a sophomore in 1931, he won the 220 yard hurdles in 23.5 at the Big Ten conference meet;{{cite magazine|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/archive/results/features/big_ten_at_winners.html |magazine=Track & Field News |author=Kopriva, Don |access-date=June 16, 2013 |title=All-Time Big 10 Men's Winners: 1901–2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501001926/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/archive/results/features/big_ten_at_winners.html |archive-date=May 1, 2013 }} he was favored in the 120 yard hurdles as well,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19310522&id=f5tOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3791,2674376 |newspaper=The Deseret News |title=Michigan, Illinois Again Favored in Big Ten Meet |author=Powers, Francis J. |date=May 22, 1931 |access-date=June 16, 2013}} but was narrowly defeated by Illinois's Lee Sentman in a world-record-equaling 14.4.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19310525&id=FxobAAAAIBAJ&pg=4064,5276869 |title=Sentman-Keller Dual is Epic |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |author=Kirksey, George |date=May 25, 1931 |access-date=June 16, 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19310523&id=vPopAAAAIBAJ&pg=5556,1044592 |title=Wisconsin Captures Big 10 Meet; Lee Sentman Ties Record in Hurdles |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal |date=May 23, 1931 |access-date=June 16, 2013}}{{refn|group=note|1=Keller himself had run 14.3 several weeks earlier at the Ohio Relays. However, that time wasn't ratifiable as a world record as he had knocked down two hurdles.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19310503&id=4H5QAAAAIBAJ&pg=2455,507196 |newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel |date=May 3, 1931 |access-date=June 16, 2013 |title=Two Records Are Broken}} Although modern rules do not prohibit the toppling of hurdles, those valid in 1931 specified that knocking down any hurdles would make a mark invalid for record purposes and that knocking down three or more hurdles would lead to disqualification.}} He then led Ohio State to a second-place finish in the NCAA Championships, winning both the 120 yard hurdles (14.6) and the 220 yard hurdles (23.8) in difficult conditions and tying for highest points scorer of the meet.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19310607&id=cCQeAAAAIBAJ&pg=5948,3159072 |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |date=June 7, 1931 |author=Kirksey, George |title=Southern California Wins Track Championship Again |access-date=June 16, 2013}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/1028 |title=A History of the NCAA Championships |author=Hill, E. Garry |magazine=Track & Field News |access-date=June 16, 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19310607&id=cAoxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5877,1212989 |newspaper=The Reading Eagle |title=Trojans Smash Records to Win College Title |date=June 7, 1931 |access-date=June 16, 2013}}
Keller continued to improve in 1932 and won that year's Big Ten 120-yard title in a world-record-breaking 14.0, defeating Iowa's new star George Saling.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19320521&id=mUUxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5334,3554657 |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal |date=May 21, 1932 |title=Jack Keller Runs Hurdles in 14 Seconds |access-date=June 16, 2013}} However, due to wind assistance this time could not be ratified as a record. Keller and Saling then split the two races at the NCAA Championships on June 11, both running under the respective world records: Saling won the 120 yard hurdles in 14.1 as Keller placed third,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19320613&id=Vv8tAAAAIBAJ&pg=4925,1742288 |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette |title=Metcalfe Cracks Three World Records |date=June 13, 1932 |access-date=June 16, 2013}} while Keller defended his title in the longer race, beating Saling by a step in 22.7 to break Charles Brookins's world record of 23.0.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19320612&id=qbFQAAAAIBAJ&pg=5303,912274 |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal |date=June 12, 1932 |access-date=June 16, 2013 |author=Kuechle, Oliver E. |title=When Ralph Metcalfe, Hilltop's Meteor, Runs the Cinders Burn}} However, neither time was ratified as a world record.
At the Olympic Trials on July 16 Keller again came out on top in the 110 meter hurdles, running 14.4 into a headwind to defeat Saling and the previous year's national champion, Percy Beard.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/1152 |format=PDF |title=The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field |author=Hymans, Richard |magazine=Track & Field News |access-date=May 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818175931/https://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/1152 |archive-date=August 18, 2017 |url-status=dead }} His winning time equaled the world record for the metric hurdles; automatically timed as 14.53, it was the first hurdling record to have been automatically timed.{{Citation |author1=Butler, Mark |author2=IAAF Media & Public Relations Department |publisher=International Association of Athletics Federations |title=IAAF Statistics Handbook Daegu 2011}} The three Americans were clear favorites for the Olympics and were expected to sweep the medals.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19320721&id=xdMrAAAAIBAJ&pg=4303,2625989 |title=American Should Win the Hurdles |author=Gould, Alan |date=July 21, 1932 |newspaper=The Evening Record |access-date=June 16, 2013}}
At the Olympics in Los Angeles Keller easily advanced from the first two rounds, winning his heat in 14.9 and the first semi-final in 14.5, an Olympic record. However, that record only lasted for a few minutes, as the other semi-final was won by Saling in 14.4.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1932/ATH/mens-110-metres-hurdles-semi-finals.html |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=June 16, 2013 |title=Athletics at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 110 metres Hurdles Semi-Finals |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017184009/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1932/ATH/mens-110-metres-hurdles-semi-finals.html |archive-date=October 17, 2013 }} In the final Keller led for the first four hurdles, but hit the fifth hurdle and was caught first by Beard and then the eventual winner, Saling.{{cite book |title=Huippu-urheilun historia |year=1935 |publisher=Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö |author=Jukola, Martti |language=fi}} He was originally thought to have come in third and was presented with the Bronze Medal; however, after review of the Kirby Two-Eyed Camera films, officials determined that Britain's Don Finlay was the bronze medalist and they asked Keller to give the medal to Finlay.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1932/ATH/mens-110-metres-hurdles.html |title=Athletics at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 110 metres Hurdles |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=June 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017183954/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1932/ATH/mens-110-metres-hurdles.html |archive-date=October 17, 2013 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-athlete-who-had-an-olympic-medaland-then-didnt-1488327507|last1=Greene|first1=Bob|author-link1= Bob Greene|title=An Athlete Who Had an Olympic Medal – and Then Didn't|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=March 1, 2017|page=A19}}
Saling died in a car accident in April 1933,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19330415&id=b9FXAAAAIBAJ&pg=7178,3031980 |title=George Saling, World Champion Hurdler, Is Killed in Automobile Accident |publisher=Spokane Daily Chronicle |date=April 15, 1933 |access-date=June 16, 2013}} leaving Keller on top.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19330512&id=ZghRAAAAIBAJ&pg=3586,5361060 |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |date=May 12, 1933 |access-date=June 16, 2013 |title=Keller King of Hurdlers}} After watching Keller win the 120 yard hurdles at the 1933 Penn Relays in 14.3, 1920 Olympic champion and former world record holder Earl Thomson called him the "world's greatest hurdler", saying Keller was easily better than he had been.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19330429&id=tM0xAAAAIBAJ&pg=6818,4735153 |title=Four Records Shattered At Penn Relays |date=April 29, 1933 |newspaper=Reading Eagle |access-date=June 16, 2013}} Keller won that year's Big Ten championships in 14.1 (a world record) and 23.5.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19330602&id=dghRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4989,420708 |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |date=June 2, 1933 |title=Big Six Marks in Track Compare Well With Those of Other Conference Meets |access-date=June 16, 2013}} However, at the NCAA Championships he fell in his heat in the 120 yard hurdles and failed to qualify for the final; the knee gashes he suffered in that fall spoiled his performance in the 220 yard hurdles as well.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19330616&id=idFXAAAAIBAJ&pg=6733,3704444 |title=Northwest Men Crash Way Into Track Finals |date=June 16, 1933 |access-date=June 16, 2013 |publisher=Spokane Daily Chronicle}}
Keller retired from hurdling after the 1933 season,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19330522&id=0-sZAAAAIBAJ&pg=1548,177549 |date=May 22, 1933 |title=Keller of Ohio Plans to Retire |access-date=June 16, 2013 |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19360320&id=KxpVAAAAIBAJ&pg=1747,715432 |newspaper=The Miami News |title=America Seems Likely to Win Hurdle Events |author=Gould, Alan |date=March 20, 1936}} and went on to become the managing editor of the Columbus, Ohio Citizen Journal. He attempted a brief comeback in 1936.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19360622&id=PLJQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6597,776736 |title=Trojan Athletes Here for Saturday's Meet |author=Kuechle, Oliver E. |date=June 22, 1936 |newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal}}
Notes
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References
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{{Footer US NC 110m Hurdles Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1932 Summer Olympics}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Jack}}
Category:American male hurdlers
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)
Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's track and field athletes
Category:Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners