Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Chicago, IL, May 24-25, 1929
Tolan narrowly defeats Simpson in the Western Conference, matching the 100-yard world record with a time of 9.5.
Winners (Spalding’s Athletic Almanac)
Helsingin Sanomat, June 16, 1929 (in Finnish)
Sectional championships of the U.S. university series, known as conferences, were held in May. In Chicago's suburb of Evanston, the Western Conference or the Big 10, determined its champions at Dyche Stadium, which would be demolished in 2024.
Eddie Tolan set a world record of 9.5 in the 100-yard dash with a tailwind of 1.9 meters per second. George Simpson, who would later controversy with his starting blocks, lost by just 30 centimeters – "by a hair," according to correspondent James of the Finnish Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
On the 220-yard dash (run on a straight track), the tables turned. Simpson defeated Tolan, achieving the world's best time of 20.6 (equivalent to 21.0 in the curved 200 meters).
Richard Rockaway, ranked fourth in the world in 1929, finished the 120-yard hurdles in 14.8. He also set a world record of 22.8 in the 220-yard hurdles, an event rarely held in today's competitions. In August, Rockaway competed with the U.S. team in Europe, including at Helsinki's Eläintarha.