Severely injured as a child in a schoolhouse fire, in which his brother perished, Glenn Cunningham developed into a tough and durable competitor and was a force to be reckoned with on the world miling scene for almost a decade. He was a prolific runner and fully justified the nickname, “The Iron Man of Kansas”. Cunningham won the NCAA 1,500 m in 1932 and then finished third in the AAU before taking fourth place at the Olympics. In 1933 he won the NCAA mile and the AAU 1,500 m. After losing the 1934 AAU to Bill Bonthron of Princeton, Glenn Cunningham took the title for the next four years (1935-1938). In 1934 he set a world mile record of 4:06.7 and two weeks after finishing second in the 1936 Olympic 1,500 m he set a world record of 1:49.7 for 800 m in Stockholm. Cunningham ran his fastest 1,500 m in 1940 when he clocked 3:48.0 in finishing second to Walter Mehl in the AAU. Cunningham earned degrees from Kansas, Iowa, and NYU. His life’s work was a youth ranch which housed needy and abused children.
Personal Best: 1500 – 3:48.2 (1940).
United States