Robert Harold "Hal" Smallwood (March 24, 1915 – April 20, 1985) was an American sprinter. He was national champion in the

400 meters The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

in 1936 and competed at the

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 ...

, but withdrew after the quarterfinals due to

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

Biography

Smallwood was born in

San Luis Obispo, California San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfwa ...

on March 24, 1915. He studied at

Ventura High School Ventura High School (VHS) is a public high school in Ventura, California. The school is part of the Ventura Unified School District and serves students in the western portion of Ventura and surrounding unincorporated communities including Casita ...

and then Ventura Junior College, where he took up track and field. From 1935 he attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC); at the time, the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

had a very strong track team under coach Dean Cromwell. Smallwood placed third in the

at the 1936 NCAA Championships; the Trojans won the team championship with a record points. Smallwood won the national ( AAU) championship later that summer, defeating

Jimmy LuValle James Ellis LuValle (November 10, 1912 – January 30, 1993) was an American athlete and scientist. He won the bronze medal in the Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres, 400 metres at the Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 1 ...

and world record holder Archie Williams in a close race in 47.3. At the

U.S. Olympic Trials The United States Olympic Trials are competitions held in certain sports to select the United States' participants in those sports at the Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading i ...

a week after the AAU meet he placed second behind Williams, running an estimated 46.7; he qualified 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 ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. En route to the Olympics Smallwood suffered an attack of

, which put his participation in the Games in doubt. Eventually, he was able to run in the heats and the quarter-finals, advancing from both; he had to withdraw before the semi-finals as his condition worsened. He underwent an emergency

appendectomy An appendectomy, also termed appendicectomy, is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedure to treat complicated acu ...

in Berlin, but remained in weak health; complications, including pleurisy, nearly killed him in February 1937. Smallwood eventually recovered, and was named co-captain of the USC track team for the 1937–38 season. He died in Oxnard, California in April 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smallwood, Harold 1915 births 1985 deaths American male sprinters USC Trojans men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Sportspeople from San Luis Obispo, California