Loren Murchison

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name =

| image =Loren Murchison 1923.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Murchison in 1923

| birth_name =

| fullname =

| nationality =

| residence =

| birth_date = December 17, 1898

| birth_place = Farmersville, Texas, U.S.

| death_date = June 11, 1979 (aged 80)

| death_place = Lakewood, New Jersey, U.S.

| height = 174 cm

| weight = 68 kg

| country =

| sport = Athletics

| event = Sprint

| pb =100 m – 10.5 (1924)
200 m – 21.5 (1924){{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mu/loren-murchison-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418011431/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mu/loren-murchison-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Loren Murchison Olympic Results |access-date=October 15, 2012 |work=Sports-Reference.com}}[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=4684&Gender=M Loren Murchison]. trackfield.brinkster.net

| club = Newark Athletic Club

| alma_mater =

| retired =

| olympics =

| highestranking =

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}

}}

Loren C. Murchison (December 17, 1898 – June 11, 1979) was an American athlete, double gold medal winner in 4 × 100 m relay at the Olympic Games.

Biography

Born in Farmersville, Texas, Loren Murchison was an AAU Champion in {{convert|100|yd|abbr=on}} in 1920 and 1923 and in {{convert|220|yd|abbr=on}} in 1918 and 1923. He also won the British AAA Championships in both {{convert|100|yd|abbr=on}} and {{convert|220|yd|abbr=on}} at the 1925 AAA Championships.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000325/19250718/019/0007 |title=AAA Championships |work=Gloucester Citizen |date=18 July 1925 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=3 January 2025 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003212/19250720/219/0010 |title=New Holders |work=Daily News (London) |date=20 July 1925 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=3 January 2025 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=3 January 2025 }}

At the 1920 Summer Olympics, Murchison finished fourth in 200 m and sixth in 100 m. He also ran the third leg in the gold medal winning United States 4 × 100 m relay team, which set a new world record of 42.2 s in the Olympic final. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Murchison was again sixth in 100 m and won his second Olympic gold medal as an opening leg in the world record (41.0 s) setting American 4 × 100 m relay team.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78826 |title=Loren Murchison |work=Olympedia |access-date=4 July 2021}}

Murchison was an outstanding indoor runner. He won 14 titles (9 individual and 5 in the relay) at the United States premier indoor athletics meet, the Millrose Games.{{cite news |title=Everett's Finish in 600 Breaks Oldest Indoor World Record |agency=Associated Press |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 8, 1992 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-08-sp-1329-story.html}} He was also national indoor champion at the 60 y in 1919–20 and 1922–24, and 300 y in 1919–20 and 1923–24.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/usai.htm|title=UNITED STATES INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (MEN)|publisher=www.gbrathletics.com|access-date=January 12, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.usatf.org/statistics/USA-Champions/USAIndoorTF/men/60m.aspx|title=USA Indoor Track & Field Champions Men's 60 m|publisher=USA Track & Field|access-date=December 31, 2015}}

Murchison was also a prolific breaker of records indoors. Amongst the world best times he equaled or broke are:{{cite book|last=Birkinshaw|first=Grant|title=A History of Indoor Track and Field 1849 – 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tNbFoAEACAAJ&pg=PA56|year=2014|publisher=Edit Vallardi|isbn=978-88-95684-65-9|page=56|others=Sponsored by IAAF}}

equaled 60 y best of 6.4 s in 1920, 1922 and 1923;{{cite web|url=http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SU19220213.2.81|title=Records Broken in Track Meet|publisher=Sacramento Union|date=February 13, 1922|access-date=December 31, 2015}}
established new 60 y best of 6.2 s in 1923;{{cite book|last1=Sprechman|first1=Jordan|last2=Shannon|first2=Bill|title=This Day in New York Sports|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXJgqTXTelsC&pg=PA31|year=1998|publisher=Sports Publishing LLC|isbn=978-1-57167-254-4|page=31|chapter=January 31}}
50 m of 6.0 s in 1925;
300 y of 31.2 s;
220 y best of 22.4 s.

It was such exploits that inspired Charley Paddock (1920 Olympic 100 m champion) to call Murchison "the greatest indoor sprinter of his generation and the finest starter of all-time.

In 1925 Murchison was struck with spinal meningitis and paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.This author met Murchison in the early 1970s and heard his story directly from him. My father was his doctor. Original date claimed was 1925 but other sources suggest the later date of 1927/28.{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1927/12/12/page/29/article/loren-murchison-suffers-relapse-in-fight-for-life |title=Loren Murchison Suffers Relapse in Fight For Life |agency=Associated Press |work=Chicago Tribune |date=December 12, 1927}}

A resident of Leisure Village in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, Murchison died at the age of 80 on June 11, 1979, at Point Pleasant Hospital in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.{{cite news |author=Staff |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/14/archives/loren-murchison-80-track-star.html |title=Loren Murchison, 80, Track Star |work=The New York Times |date=June 14, 1979 |access-date=February 9, 2011 |quote=For the last 16 years he had resided in Leisure Village, a retirement community in Lakeville{{sic}}.}}