Posted: November 2, 2007

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 8, Number 89

Olympic medalist John Woodruff dies According to The New York Times, National Track & Field Hall of Famer John Woodruff died Tuesday in Fountain Hills, Ariz. He was 92. Best known for his amazing come-from-behind victory in the 800 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Woodruff died of atrial fibrillation and chronic renal failure. Of the 12 American men who won gold medals at the 1936 Olympics, Woodruff was the last survivor. While only a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh in 1936, Woodruff took the track world by storm by finishing second in the 800 meters at the National AAU meet, then winning the Olympic Trials. Despite his inexperience, he was quickly established as the favorite at the Berlin Olympics. He didn't disappoint, though he had an anxious moment in the final when he found himself boxed in. He pulled a tactical coup, virtually slowing to a stop and waiting until the entire field passed him, then moving into the third lane and sprinting from last to first. His winning time was 1:52.9. During a career that was curtailed by World War II, Woodruff won three-straight national collegiate titles and also won the National AAU 880 crown in 1937. The American record holder at 800 meters with a 1:48.6 in 1940, Woodruff also held a share of the world 4x880-yard record while competing with the U.S. national team. He was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1978. A career army officer, Woodruff served in World War II and Korea. He is survived by his wife Rose and two children from a previous marriage, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Services are pending. Greene featured in new book 2000 Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene is among the celebrity athletes making an appearance in a newly published book by Todd Gallagher, Andy Roddick Beat Me WithA Frying Pan. The book is one man's mission to settle, once and for all, some fifty different sports debates, no matter how ridiculous. Gallagher gets answers from A-list names in every major sport, from Greene to LeBron James to Jason Giambi to Mike Tyson, and many others. In the chapter, "What kind of a handicap would it take to beat an Olympic sprinter?" Gallagher's editor takes on Greene in a footrace. The hitch: the editor gets a more than 30-meter head start and runs more than half the 100-meter race on a moving walkway. Other questions settled by exhibition events like Greene's, which Gallagher staged for the book: Are pro golfers good at miniature golf? Can basketball players really "make change" off the top of a backboard? How would a regular person fare against top-ranked U.S. tennis champ Andy Roddick, if Roddick used a frying pan instead of a tennis racket? For more information about Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan, visit www.todd33.com Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest