Jesse “J. W.” Mashburn of Oklahoma A&M placed fourth at the 1952 Final Trials and went to Helsinki as a member of the relay squad. He did not, however, compete in the Olympics because the U.S. brought hurdler Charlie Moore onto the relay team in a vain effort to counter the talented Jamaican foursome. In 1956, Mashburn again placed fourth at the Final Trials, but this time he got a chance to show his paces on the relay team and came back from Melbourne with a gold medal. Mashburn also won the NCAA one-lap title in 1955 and 1956, and his best performance was a 46.2 clocking for 440 y. At the 1955 Pan American Games he ran on the gold medal winning 4x400 relay team (with Lon Spurrier, Jim Lea, and Lou Jones) and won a bronze medal in the 400 metres. He later became a real estate broker in Oklahoma.
Personal Bests: 200 – 20.9y (1955); 400 – 45.9y (1956).
United States