Floyd McFarland

Floyd McFarland competed in multiple professional events during the 1900 Olympics, and he also competed at the 1900 World Championships in the sprint, also held in Paris. The remainder of his professional career is best known for six-day races, with him winning in New York in 1900 and 1908, Boston in 1901, and Berlin in 1909. He also spent some time racing professionally in Australia. After his racing career ended in 1911 he became a promoter of cycling events and racers, and by 1914 was the premier cycling promoter in the United States.

On 17 April 1915, McFarland was setting up the Newark Velodrome for an event when he got into an argument with Brooklyn’s David Lantenberg, who sold refreshments at the track. Lantenberg was putting up posters advertising his concession, using a screwdriver to screw them into the wall, when McFarland interrupted him, telling him the posters were not permitted. When the argument intensified, Lantenberg turned and stabbed McFarland in the back of his head with the screwdriver. The screwdriver penetrated his skull and brain, and he would die a few hours later. Lantenberg was later found not guilty of all charges against him.