Michigan's Bob Ufer

[BillVol]

http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/stadiu ... t/ufer.htm

Ran into this website on Michigan's stadium. Nice piece on former U-M radio voice Bob Ufer, who was a track athlete for them.

[gh]

Don't know about the World Record claims, but he was 2nd in the NCAA 880 in '43.

[lonewolf]

The article says he entered Michigan University in 1939 and held the world record for the quarter mile for five years and the UM record for 32 years??
Not to diminish the man's accomplishments but my reference says the WR for 400m at the time was 46.0 by Rudolph Harbig of Germany, set at Frankfort on Aug 12, 1938, which stood until George Rhoden ran 45.9 at Helsinki in 1952.
Just wondering if this is another journalists boo-boo...

[Master Mirthmaker]

Bob Ufer

Bob Ufer ran for Mt. Lebanon [PA] HS. Placed 3rd in the 1937 PIAA Outdoor State Championship 440y in a school record 50.6.

[gh]

The article says he entered Michigan University in 1939 and held the world record for the quarter mile for five years and the UM record for 32 years??
Not to diminish the man's accomplishments but my reference says the WR for 400m at the time was 46.0 by Rudolph Harbig of Germany, set at Frankfort on Aug 12, 1938, which stood until George Rhoden ran 45.9 at Helsinki in 1952.
Just wondering if this is another journalists boo-boo...

says indoor WR; I'm sans a reference source in that regard at the moment, but in those days when there were no IAAF records, "WRs" were claimed for various indoor surfaces, like unbanked dirt as opposed to banked boards, etc. I have no feel for where his 48.1 would fit in that regard off the top of my head.

[dj]

The indoor "wr" progression for the 440y includes Ufer, who ran a 48.1 at the Big 10 Champs in Chicago on March 7, 1942. The old 440y best had been Roy Cochran's 48.2 at the Big 10 Champs on March 9, 1940. Ufer's mark was not beaten until Dave Mills (Canada/Purdue) ran 47.9 on Feb. 3, 1962.

The Ufer mark lasted as a 400m indoor "WR" for less than three weeks, as Cochran ran 47.9 en route to a 48.2 440y at the Navy Relief Meet in the Bronx on March 25, 1942.

[lonewolf]

That makes more sense.

[Mighty Favog]

...Dave Mills (Canada/Purdue) ...

I thought Mills went to Lakewood (OH) HS. Am I incorrect on that?

[dj]

...Dave Mills (Canada/Purdue) ...

I thought Mills went to Lakewood (OH) HS. Am I incorrect on that?

Mills did go to Lakewood HS. Set the HSR in the Ohio State meet in '58: 46.6.

[Mighty Favog]

Then what's with the Canadian reference? Aside from his records, I know nothing about him.

[gh]

Canadian citizen at American high school (but don't know the circumstances of when moved).

[Bruce Kritzler]

Believe Mills' high school record was set around 1 curve.

[Mighty Favog]

Yes; Ohio Stadium had long straightaways out the open end of the horseshoe until 1964. The history of the state championships, which appears in the state meet program, claims the state 440 was run around one turn in '57 only, but Craig Whitmore's data he sent along to me said it was run around one turn in '58. While I always take Craig's stuff with a grain of salt, I'm pretty sure he was right on this one. It's not like I can ask him anymore .

[gh]

"easy" way to tell may be to look at the 220 times, assuming that if the 440 was a 2-turn that the 220 would be curve rather than straight.

[dj]

Believe Mills' high school record was set around 1 curve.

Jack Shepard's long-ago published HSR progression lists the Mills mark as one turn.