Mel Patton
Patton (left) with coach Dean Cromwell in 1948 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | November 16, 1924 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | May 9, 2014 (aged 89) Fallbrook, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 72 kg (159 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Event | Sprint | ||||||||||||||
| Club | USC Trojans | ||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Dean Cromwell | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 100 y - 9.2 (1948) World record 100 m – 10.44 (1948) 200 m – 20.7 (1948) 200 y 20.2 (1949) World record | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Melvin Emery Patton (November 16, 1924 – May 9, 2014) was an American sprinter, who set the world record of 9.2 seconds in the 100-yard dash (91.44 metres) in 1948. He also set a 220 yd world record in 1949 on a straightaway of 20.2, breaking the record held by Jesse Owens.
Patton won two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was ranked first in the world in the 100 m and 200 m events in 1947 and 1949.