Willie Steele

In 1942 the 18-year-old Willie Steele won the AAU Junior long jump and had a best mark of 25-7 (7.80), which topped the world rankings that year. He then missed what might have been his best years because of service with the Army in Italy and the Philippines and, after a three-year absence, he returned to serious competition and won the 1946 AAU title. The following year he again won the AAU and at the NCAA meet, representing San Diego State, he came close to Jesse Owens’s world record with a jump of 26-6 (8.08). In 1948 he won his second NCAA title and, after skipping the AAU championships, he won the Final Trials at 26-2 (7.97) to become the first man in history – apart from Jesse Owens – to break the 26-foot barrier twice. At the 1948 Olympics, Steele was suffering from a variety of injuries. He won the gold medal with his first jump and after limping through a second trial, which still exceeded the best effort of the silver medalist, he retired from the competition. Had his career not been interrupted by war service and injury problems he would almost certainly have succeeded Owens as world record holder. He later played pro football briefly but injuries continued to plague him, and his career with the LA Rams was undistinguished.

Personal Bests: 100y – 9.7 (1948); LJ – 26-6 (8.08) (1947); TJ – 47-5 (14.45) (1942).