Charles B. Hoyt (October 9, 1893 – 1978) was an American track athlete and coach.

Champion sprinter

A native of Greenfield, Iowa, Hoyt won three straight 100 and 220 yard dashes in the Iowa state meet from 1911–1913 and won seven career gold medals. As a high school student in 1912, Hoyt was offered a place on the U.S. Olympic team but turned down the chance. He ran a nation’s best of 9.8 in 1913—the same year the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based 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. It has ...

called him "America’s best sprinter." His 9.8 time was equaled by Bill Carter of Chicago in 1914 but was not bettered until 1932 when

Foy Draper Foy Draper (November 26, 1911 – February 1, 1943) was an American track and field athlete who won a gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1936 Summer Olympics. As a University of Southern California student, Draper won the IC4A championships i ...

of California ran 9.6. After graduating early from high school, Hoyt enrolled at Grinnell College where he set a world record in the 220-yard dash on a curved track at the 1916 Drake Relays. He won intercollegiate championships in both the 100-yard and 220-yard runs, but lost the opportunity to compete in the Olympics when the

1916 Summer Olympics The 1916 Summer Olympics (german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1916), officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad, were scheduled to be held in Berlin, German Empire, but were eventually cancelled for the first time in its 20-year history due to ...

was cancelled due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He graduated from Grinnell College in 1917 and served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

Track coach

Grinnell College and Sioux City High School

After his service in the Navy, Hoyt coached track at Grinnell College, where he trained

Morgan Taylor Frederick Morgan Taylor (April 17, 1903 – February 16, 1975) was an American hurdler and the first athlete to win three Olympic medals in the 400 m hurdles. He was the flag bearer for the United States at his last Olympics in 1932. In 19 ...

, the first Olympic champion from Iowa. He next became the athletic director at Sioux City (Central) High School.

University of Michigan

He was hired by the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1923 as the assistant track coach and trainer of the football team. In 1930, he became Michigan's head track coach. In his ten years as Michigan's head coach (1930–1939), Hoyt's Michigan track teams won 14 of a possible 20 Big Ten Conference indoor and outdoor titles, including six straight indoor championships from 1934-1939. With Hoyt as head coach, Michigan was 40-6-0 in dual meets. His Michigan athletes also won five individual NCAA championships and 63 individual Big Ten championships (27 indoor and 33 outdoor). The athletes Hoyt coached at Michigan include: * Philip Northrup - a three-time

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

champion and four-time All-American, in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

and

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

, (1925–27). Northrup was inducted to the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. * Eddie Tolan - set the world record in the 100-yard dash and won Olympic gold medals at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

in the 100-meter and 200-meter run. *

Sam Stoller Sam Stoller (August 8, 1915 – May 29, 1985) was an American athlete who specialized in sprinting and long jumping. He tied the world record in the 60-yard dash in 1936. Stoller is best known for his exclusion from the American 4 × 10 ...

- one of two Jews on the American track team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics; controversy sparked when he was pulled from the 4 x 100-meter relay event * William Watson - won 12 individual Big Ten Conference championships, including three consecutive championships (1937–1939) in the long jump, discus and shot put; first African-American to win the AAU decathlon championship in 1940 *

Elmer Gedeon Elmer John Gedeon (April 15, 1917 – April 20, 1944) was an American professional baseball player, appearing in several games for the Washington Senators in . Gedeon and Harry O'Neill were the only two Major League Baseball players killed duri ...

- tied a world record in the high hurdles in 1938; shot down and killed while piloting a B-26 bomber on a mission over France in April 1944. *

Willis Ward Willis Franklin Ward (December 28, 1912 – December 30, 1983) was a track and field athlete and American football player who was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1981. Ward was the Michigan High School Athlete o ...

- collegiate champion in the high jump, long jump, 100-yard dash, and 400-yard dash; finished second in voting for AP Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 1933; second African-American to letter in football at Michigan. *

Bob Osgood Robert D. Osgood (April 21, 1915 – July 24, 1990) was an American track and field athlete who set a world record in the 120-yard high hurdles in May 1937 with a time of 14 seconds flat. He also won the Big Ten Conference championship in the ...

- set a world record in the 120-yard high hurdles in May 1937; won Big Ten Conference championship in the event in both 1936 and 1937.

Yale University

In 1939, he was hired by

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

as the school's track coach and trainer of its football team. He remained track coach at Yale until 1946 when he was replaced by Robert Giegengack.

Later life and honors

After leaving Yale, Hoyt lived in

Woolstock, Iowa Woolstock is a city in Wright County, Iowa, United States. The population was 144 at the time of the 2020 census. History Woolstock township was established in 1858, and its first Post Office for Woolstock was in 1868, located near the locatio ...

where he operated large farm holdings. In 1948, Hoyt was selected as the referee for the 48th annual Western Conference track and field meet. He was inducted into the Helms Foundation Track Hall of Fame in 1949 and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1955.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyt, Charles 1893 births 1978 deaths American male sprinters American track and field coaches Grinnell Pioneers men's track and field athletes Michigan Wolverines football coaches Michigan Wolverines men's track and field athletes Michigan Wolverines track and field coaches United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy sailors Yale Bulldogs track and field coaches People from Greenfield, Iowa Coaches of American football from Iowa Track and field athletes from Iowa Military personnel from Iowa