Glen Wilson Dawson (August 1, 1906 – January 19, 1968) was an American

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

. He represented the United States in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase at the

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

and

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

, qualifying for the final both times.

Biography

Glen Dawson was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

on August 1, 1906. He grew up in

Skiatook, Oklahoma Skiatook (Skī·ǎ·tōōk ''or'' Skī·ǎ·tǒǒk versus Skī·tōōk ''or'' Skī·tǒǒk) is a city in Osage and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma located in the northeastern part of the state, approximately 20 miles north and west ...

, and took up running in grade school. In 1927, his senior year in high school, he set a state high school record in the

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

and won one of the two mile races at the national interscholastic meet in Chicago. Subsequently, Dawson attended the Central State Teachers College and from 1929 the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

. Dawson competed in the

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

at the 1928 United States Olympic Trials, but did not qualify for the Olympic team. Coached by John Jacobs, Dawson had a successful collegiate career with the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

, winning the Big Six mile championship both indoors and outdoors in 1930 and again in 1931; at the 1931 outdoor meet he also won the

two miles The 2 mile (10,560 feet or 3,218.688 metres) is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets due its historical chronology in the United States and United Kingdom. It has been larg ...

. He placed third in the mile at the 1931 NCAA championships. In 1932, his last year in college, he took up the

3000 meter steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the h ...

and attempted to qualify for the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

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in that event. Dawson lost to Harold Manning at the Midwestern Tryouts in Evanston; before the final Trials he was not favored to make the American team. At the final Olympic Trials in

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

Dawson placed third in 9:18.4 and earned the last spot on the American steeplechase squad; the winner,

Joe McCluskey Joseph Paul McCluskey (June 2, 1911 – August 31, 2002) was an American track and field athlete. During his running career, he won 27 national titles in various distance events and captured the steeplechase title a record nine times in a 13-ye ...

, set a new

world best A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

of 9:14.5. In Los Angeles, Dawson was drawn in the same heat as McCluskey and eventual Olympic champion

Volmari Iso-Hollo Volmari "Vomma" Fritijof Iso-Hollo (5 January 1907 – 23 June 1969) was a Finnish runner. He competed at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics in the 3000 m steeplechase and 10000 m and won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals. Iso-Hollo was one of ...

. He qualified for the final by placing third in 9:15.0, a time that would remain his lifetime best. The Olympic final turned into a 3460-meter steeplechase due to a lap counter's error; Dawson placed sixth in 10:58.0. In 1933 Dawson won the national ( AAU) indoor championship in the

1000 meters The 1000 metres is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. The 1000 yards, an imperial alternative, was sometimes also contested. All-time top 25 *h = hand timed *i = indoor performance *A = affected by ...

and defeated

Glenn Cunningham Glenn Cunningham may refer to: *Glenn Cunningham (athlete) (1909–1988), American runner, Olympic Games medalist * Glenn Cunningham (Nebraska politician) (1912–2003), American politician, mayor of Omaha, and congressman for Nebraska * Glenn Cunn ...

in an indoor mile race in Tulsa. He was seen as a potential challenger to Cunningham as America's leading miler, but in later races Cunningham proved stronger. Dawson won the AAU 1000-meter title again in 1935, and placed fourth (behind Cunningham, Gene Venzke and Archie San Romani) in the 1500 meters outdoors that year. In the Olympic year 1936 Dawson again turned to the steeplechase; he placed second behind Manning at the AAU championships, his best result in the national outdoor meet. The

Olympic Trials Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

were held separately in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

the following week; Dawson placed third behind Manning and McCluskey in 9:23.2, qualifying for his second consecutive Olympic Games. At the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

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he was fourth in his heat, defeating 1932 silver medalist

Tom Evenson Thomas Evenson (9 January 1910 – 28 November 1997) was an English long-distance runner who competed for Great Britain at the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1932 he won the silver medal in the 3000 metre steeplechase event. Four years lat ...

in a fight for the last spot in the final; in the final he placed eighth in 9:21.1. Dawson retired from running in 1937 to start a business career. He died in Tulsa on January 19, 1968, after a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Glen 1906 births 1968 deaths Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma People from Skiatook, Oklahoma American male middle-distance runners American male steeplechase runners Oklahoma Sooners men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States