John Coard Taylor (January 1, 1901 – June 25, 1946) was an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who placed fifth in the men's

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 o ...

at the 1924 Summer Olympics. He was national champion in the 220-yd low hurdles in 1922 and

IC4A IC4A Championships (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year. Association was established in 1875, the competition (started in 1876) served as the top level col ...

champion in 1922 and 1923.

Biography

Taylor, descended from early Dutch settlers in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, was born in

Cranford, New Jersey Cranford is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847, an increase of 1,222 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count ...

. He studied at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, which had a strong track and field team under coach Keene Fitzpatrick. In 1922, his

junior year A junior is person in the third year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In United States high schools, a junio ...

, Taylor won the 220-yard hurdles in 23.9 at the intercollegiate (

) championships and in 24.6 at the AAU

national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

; in the AAU meet he represented the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Traver ...

. The following year he repeated as IC4A champion in the low hurdles (23.8) and placed a close second behind

Allen Woodring Allen Woodring (February 15, 1898 – November 15, 1982) was an American sprint runner. At the 1920 Olympic trials, he failed to qualify in the 200 metres yet was selected for the national team and won the Olympic gold medal in this event. Wood ...

in the 440 yards; his estimated time, 48.4, ranked him third in the world that year. Taylor won the 400 meters at the 1924 United States Olympic Trials in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

; he ran his lifetime best, 48.1, in the heats and repeated that time in the final, defeating the eventual Olympic silver medalist Horatio Fitch. At the Olympics in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Taylor qualified for the final; he remained in medal contention until his sore ankle gave way just before the finish. He eventually crawled across the finish line and placed fifth; the injury ended his athletic career. In 1926 Taylor joined the

Ethyl Gasoline Corporation Ethyl Corporation is a fuel additive company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. The company is a distributor of fuel additives. Among other products, Ethyl Corporation distributes tetraethyl lead, an additive used to make ...

; he was named the company's general sales manager in 1931 and

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

in charge of sales in 1937. Still working for Ethyl, Taylor died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in New York City on June 25, 1946; he was survived by his wife and three sons.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, John Coard 1901 births 1946 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American male hurdlers American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics Princeton Tigers men's track and field athletes People from Cranford, New Jersey Sportspeople from Union County, New Jersey Track and field athletes from New Jersey Olympic track and field athletes for the United States