Charles B. Hoyt

Charles B. Hoyt
Hoyt from the 1925 Michiganensian
Born	c. 1896 Greenfield, Iowa
Died	1978
Citizenship	United States
Years active	1913-1946
Known for	Track athlete and coach

Charles B. Hoyt (c. 1896–1978) was track athlete and coach.

A native of Greenfield, Iowa, Hoyt won three straight 100 and 220 yard dashes in the Iowa state meet from 1911–1913 and won seven career gold medals. As a high school student in 1912, Hoyt was offered a place on the U.S. Olympic team but turned down the chance. He ran a nation’s best of 9.8 in 1913—the same year the Amateur Athletic Union called him "America’s best sprinter." His 9.8 time was equaled by Bill Carter of Chicago in 1914 but was not bettered until 1932 when Foy Draper of California ran 9.6. After graduating early from high school, Hoyt enrolled at Grinnell College where he set a world record in the 220-yard dash on a curved track at the 1916 Drake Relays. He won intercollegiate championships in both the 100-yard and 220-yard runs, but lost the opportunity to compete in the Olympics when the 1916 Summer Olympics was cancelled due to World War I. He graduated from Grinnell College in 1917 and served in the United States Navy during World War I.

After his service in the Navy, Hoyt coached track at Grinnell College where he trained Morgan Taylor, the first Olympic champion from Iowa. He next became the athletic director at Sioux City (Central) High School.

He was hired by the University of Michigan in 1923 as the assistant track coach and trainer of the football team. In 1930, he became Michigan's head track coach. In his ten years as Michigan's head coach (1930–1939), Hoyt's Michigan track teams won 14 of a possible 20 Big Ten Conference indoor and outdoor titles, including six straight indoor championships from 1934-1939. With Hoyt as head coach, Michigan was 40-6-0 in dual meets. His Michigan athletes also won five individual NCAA championships and 63 individual Big Ten championships (27 indoor and 33 outdoor). The athletes Hoyt coached at Michigan include:

In 1939, he was hired by Yale University as the school's track coach and trainer of its football team. He remained track coach at Yale until 1946 when he was replaced by Robert Giegengack.