Dyche Stadium, Evanston, 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)
Championships of the Western Conference or more officially Big 10 were held at Dyche Stadium, which would be demolished in 2024. i
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, was showing the way at 80 yards, but Tolan put on the steam and nipped him at the tape. Simpson 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 led from gun to tape and defeated Tolan, tying the world's best time of 20.6 (equivalent to 21.0 in the curved 200 meters). Michigan’s pocket battleship drew almost neck-and-neck with Simpson thirty yards from the tape, but the Ohio State kid just stepped on the gas.
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.