Gene Cole

After he ran 48.0 for 440 y in 1948 while in high school, setting a US high school record, no more was heard of Gene Cole for the next four years. During the interim he attended Ohio State, leaving track, but he decided to give it another try in 1952. After placing fifth in the AAU, Cole took second place at the Final Trials and at the Helsinki Games he ran 46.8 for fourth place in the semi-finals to become the first man in Olympic history to run a sub-47.0 400 m and not make the final. Running the second stage of the relay he clocked a remarkable 45.5, which gave some indication of what he might have accomplished had he chosen to spend more than one season in top-class track. Cole later settled in Lancaster, Ohio, where he worked for over 30 years with Anchor Hocking, a glass company. He also worked as a real estate agent.

In his honor Lancaster High School, his alma mater, named their most important relay meet the Gene Cole Relays. Cole was inducted in his high school’s hall of fame and the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame.

Personal Best: 400 – 46.7y (1952).