Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, USA, June 8–9, 1928
The American collegiate championships (NCAA) took place in early June 1928 at Chicago's Soldier Field, which today serves as the home stadium for the Chicago Bears American football team.
The standout performance of the games came from Emerson Spencer, who, despite being partially visually impaired, blazed through the 440 yards in 47.7 (equivalent to 47.4 for the metric distance). This was just 0.3 seconds off Ted Meredith's 12-year-old world record. Charles "Rut" Walter, who had won the 440-yard dash in the Big Ten conference, had to settle for watching Spencer's spikes from behind, though he still ran his season's best at 48.1.
The powerful Claude "Dixie Flyer" Bracey from Rice Institute in Texas snagged two victories. He covered 100 yards in 9.6 and 220 yards on a straight track in 20.9. The century was a tight race, with George Simpson yielding by only a tenth of a second. Bracey's winning time for the 100 yards equaled the world record, but the result was not even submitted for approval to the international federation. 20.9 seconds for the 220 ranked third among all 200-meter and 220-yard results for the season, surpassed only by two German performances achieved later in the summer on an over-long track, which reduces centrifugal force.
Bracey secured the final, fourth spot in the American Olympic trials for the 100 meters at the Amsterdam Olympics. However, his fitness didn't hold up until early August, and Bracey was unceremoniously eliminated in the Amsterdam semi-finals.
Amsterdam Olympic finalist in the 400 meters hurdles and future war correspondent Frank Cuhel from Iowa was the fastest in the 220-yard low hurdles. Surprisingly perhaps, he defeated Washington's Steve Anderson who had bad luck in getting his fast times ratified as records.
Many of the future Olympic champions gave their warnings at Soldier Field. Bob King soared over the bar at a world-leading 1.997 (6-6 5/8), and Ed Hamm leaped 7.62 (25-0) from the board.
Lee Bartlett of Michigan launched the javelin for the best American throw of the season, 66.01 (216-7), which was also the 16th longest throw globally that season. However, this result was not accepted as an American record. In Amsterdam, his throw was almost ten meters shorter, and he did not make it to the finals.
Almost complete (Track And Field News)
1-6 (Wikipedia)