Ned Alvin Merriam (October 26, 1884 – July 9, 1956) 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,

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player, and coach of track and football. Merriam attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where he starred in football and track between 1905 and 1908. He was a member of the American track and field team at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In the

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

, Merriam won his preliminary heat with a time of 52.2 seconds. He advanced to the semifinals, where he finished third in his heat to be eliminated from further competition—the only 400-meter race he ever lost. Merriam later coached track at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

, and

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. He was head track coach at the

from 1929 until his retirement in 1950. He died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

in Chicago in 1956. In 2011 Merriam was inducted into the

Athletics Hall of Fame. His plaque states that he was a three-time Big 10 champion in the 440-yard dash, and a member of the U.S. Olympic Team, served as head track and field coach from 1929 to 1949.

Head coaching record

Football

References

Additional sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merriam, Ned 1884 births 1956 deaths American football fullbacks American male sprinters Chicago Maroons football players Chicago Maroons men's track and field athletes Chicago Maroons track and field coaches Iowa State Cyclones track and field coaches DePauw Tigers track and field coaches Texas A&M Aggies football coaches Yale Bulldogs track and field coaches Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States People from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Deaths from leukemia