George L. Young (July 24, 1937 – November 8, 2022) was an American

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

athlete and college coach. He won a bronze medal at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

in the 3000 meter

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

and held several American records in events ranging from the two mile to the 5000 meter race. He broke two world records, in the indoor two and three mile events.

Early life and education

Born in

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in, and the County seat, seat of, Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Chaves County forms the entirety of the List of micropolitan areas in New Mexico, Roswell micropolitan area. As of ...

, Young graduated from Western High School (now

Silver High School Silver High School is a high school in Silver City, New Mexico. The school was opened in its current location in 1967. It was previously known as Western High School and was part of Western New Mexico University. History In 1949, New Mexico Stat ...

), in

Silver City, New Mexico Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704. History ...

, in 1955. He then attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

where he competed in track and field and joined the Beta Iota Chapter of

Theta Chi Fraternity Theta Chi () is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 collegiate members across Nort ...

. He began running the 3000 meter steeplechase in his senior year and finished second in that event at the National AAU championship. He graduated from the university in 1959 with an undergraduate degree after being named the "outstanding senior athlete" of the year.

1960 Olympics

Shortly after graduating, Young qualified for the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. During the preliminary rounds for the steeplechase, he tripped over a hurdle and thus did not advance to the finals. The next year, he broke the American steeplechase record when he ran the event in 8:31.0.

1964 Olympics

Young improved his Olympic record at the 1964 games in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, running to fifth place in the

in 8:38.2.

Gaston Roelants Gaston, Baron Roelants (born 5 February 1937), is a Belgian former elite steeplechaser and cross country runner. He won the 1962 European and 1964 Olympic titles in the 3000 m steeplechase and twice broke the world record. Biography Roelants ...

of Belgium won gold in an Olympic Record 8:30.8.

1968 Olympics

In the first half of 1968, Young broke his own American steeplechase record with a time of 8:30.6 and set the American two mile record with a time of 8:22.0. He felt his fitness was strong enough that he and training partner

Billy Mills Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...

thought they'd take a shot at an Olympic marathon qualifier at the trials held in

Alamosa, Colorado Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colora ...

. Young won the race and earned his way on to his third Olympic team. He later qualified again in the steeplechase at the track and field trials held in

Echo Summit Echo Summit is a mountain pass over the Sierra Nevada in the western United States, located in eastern El Dorado County, California. At above sea level, it is the highest point on U.S. Route 50 in California, which traverses it at postmile 66 ...

, California. At the 1968 Olympics, held in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

at an elevation of 7,382 ft, he competed in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

, placing 16th, and the steeplechase, where he placed third and took the bronze medal. In that race, he was leading with about 300 Meters to go before falling victim to Mexico City's altitude and "hitting the wall". He was passed by two athletes born and trained at altitude in Kenya. The following year Young set two world records in the indoor two and three mile events with times of 8:27.2 and 13:09.8, respectively. He was featured on the March 1969 cover of ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runni ...

.''

1972 Olympics

After a classic battle with

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

All-American,

Steve Prefontaine Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who from 1973 to 1975 set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and ...

at the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials at

Hayward Field Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's track and field teams since 1921, and was the on-campus ho ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

, he competed in the 5000 meter race at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

(his third different Olympic event in four Olympic Games), but did not advance to the final rounds.

Career summary and records

In addition to his records in the steeplechase, two mile and indoor three mile, he also held American records for the 5000 meter, 3000 meter, steeplechase, and 4x1500 meter relay, as well as twelve age group world records. At age 34, he became the oldest person in the world (at that time) to run a sub-

four-minute mile A four-minute mile is the completion of a mile run (1609 m) in four minutes or less. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister, at age 25, in 3:59.4. As of April 2021, the "four-minute barrier" has been broken by 1,663 athletes, and is n ...

, with a time of 3:59.6 in Los Angeles, CA in March 1972. He was the first New Mexico born athlete to accomplish this feat.

Post-running career

Following his running career, he coached seven different sports at

Central Arizona College Central Arizona College (CAC) is a public community college near Coolidge, Arizona. CAC serves the population of Pinal County. History and campus Since 1969, Central Arizona College has been serving and educating the communities of Pinal Coun ...

. He led his teams to a total of fourteen championships, including the 1988 national title in cross country. In 1988 he was named the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

coach of the year. Young died on November 8, 2022, at the age of 85.

Legacy and honors

Young was inducted into the

National Track & Field Hall of Fame The National Track and Field Hall of Fame is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field. It is located within the Armory Foundation (the former Fort Washington Avenue Armory) at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, ...

in 1981 and the

National Distance Running Hall of Fame The National Distance Running Hall of Fame was established on July 11, 1998, to honor those who have contributed to the sport of distance running. Many of those who are inducted have achieved great success as runners, but some members are enshrined ...

in 2003. He also has been inducted into the University of Arizona HOF, New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, NJCAA Track and Cross Country HOF and National Distance Running HOF in 2003.

Books

*1976, ''Always Young'', Frank Dolson.

References

7. https://www.pinalcentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/local_sports/former-cac-ad-4-time-olympian-young-dies/article_3d76bb91-50e9-557d-93a2-eb783e6ab27e.html

External links

* * * https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a41924344/george-young-dies-at-85/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, George 1937 births 2022 deaths American male long-distance runners Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Arizona Wildcats men's track and field athletes American male steeplechase runners Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics People from Roswell, New Mexico Track and field athletes from New Mexico College track and field coaches in the United States College cross country coaches in the United States Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States