Eddie Tolan, whose success was built on amazing leg speed, won both sprints at the 1927 National Interscholastic Championships and, although he qualified for the 1928 Final Olympic Trials, he was eliminated in the preliminaries of the both the 100m and 200m. In 1929, Tolan ran the first official 9.5 for 100y and took his first major championship with a double victory in the AAU sprints. Apart from winning the AAU 100y he had a relatively poor season in 1930, but in 1931, while at the University of Michigan, he won the 220y at the NCAA, IC4A, and AAU championships. At the 1932 Final Trials, Tolan placed second to Ralph Metcalfe in both sprints, but he reversed the result at the Olympics and won two gold medals.
Personal Bests: 100 - 10.38 (1932); 200 - 20.9y (1931).
United States