Eric Colquhoun Wilson (October 8, 1900 – July 2, 1985) was an American track and field athlete. He won the first NCAA championship in the 220-yard dash in 1921 and competed for the United States in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

. He was the sports information director at the University of Iowa from 1923 to 1968.

Biography

Wilson was born in Iowa City, Iowa in 1900. He was the son of a professor at the University of Iowa. He enrolled at the University of Iowa and became one of the most accomplished athletes in the school's history. Wilson was a sprinter who won two NCAA championships and two Big Ten Conference championships while competing for the Iowa track team. Wilson's first NCAA championship came in 1921. He won the 220-yard dash at the first NCAA track and field championships in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

with a time of 22.6 seconds. At the 1922 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships, Wilson finished second in the 220-yard dash and fourth in the

100-yard dash 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

. In

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

, Wilson won his second NCAA championship in the 220-yard dash with a time of 21.9 seconds. Wilson was also the Big Ten Conference champion in the 220-yard dash in 1921 and 1923 and a member of the University of Iowa mile relay team that held the national intercollegiate record for seven years. Wilson competed for the United States at the

in the 400-meter race. In qualifying meets leading up to the Olympics, Wilson had bettered the world record in the event with a time of 47.7—a time that would have been good for the silver medal in Paris. At the Olympic games in Paris, he failed to qualify for the finals, though his quarterfinal time of 48.8 would have placed him in fourth place had he run that time in the finals. The 400-meter competition at the

in Paris (won by Eric Liddell) was later depicted in the Academy Award-winning film '' Chariots of Fire''. In 1923, Wilson became the University of Iowa's first sports information director, a position he held for 45 years until his retirement in 1968. He died in Iowa City, Iowa in 1985 at age 84. In 2006, Wilson was posthumously honored as part of the charter class of the University of Iowa's

Kinnick Stadium Nile Kinnick Stadium is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team. First opened in 1929 as Iowa Stadium to replace Iowa Field, it currently holds up to 69,250 peo ...

Wall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Eric University of Iowa alumni Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics 1900 births 1985 deaths American male sprinters Olympic track and field athletes for the United States

Biography

See also

References