Claude Bracey
 |
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Texas Flyer |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | June 8, 1909 Humble, Texas |
| Died | September 23, 1940 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| Event(s) | 100 yards (91 m) dash |
| College team | Rice Institute |
| Team | Rice Owls |
| Retired | 1932 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 1928 Summer Olympics |
| Highest world ranking | 9.6 seconds in the 100-yard race at the 1928 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships |
Claude Bracey (June 8, 1909 – September 23, 1940), known variously as the "Texas Flyer," the "Dixie Flyer," and the "Texas Tornado," was an American sprinter who tied world records in the 100-yard and 100-meter races between 1928 and 1932. He competed for the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and also won the 100-yard and 220-yard sprints at the 1928 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships.
Bracey grew up in Humble, Texas and attended Humble High School. As a boy, he participated in games of "hare-and-hound," in which the children would chase each other from one end of town to the other. Bracey was so fast that the rival sides would quarrel over who which side would have him. He gained prominence as a runner at Humble High.
Bracey attended Rice Institute located in Houston, Texas. He competed in intercollegiate track for the Rice Owls from 1927 to 1930 and for the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. He was regarded as "the first man to bring Rice Institute athletic fame." Bracey was considered a "big and rangy" runner. Between 1928 and 1929, he gained weight and was reported in 1929 to be six feet tall and approximately 160 pounds. In 1929, Bracey described his minimalist approach to training as follows:
"Sprinters are born, not made, and running comes natural with me. As long as I take care of myself and eat reasonably, I get along fine. I don't train any during the summer. That's vacation time and I make it that by spending those weeks fishing. Laying off like that doesn't bother me. After all, a dash man doesn't need much wind. I only take two or three breaths in 100 yards."
A feature story published in 1929 described Bracey as "almost a recluse," a quiet person who rarely left campus, never wears formal clothes, and "thinks society is all wet."
In June 1928, Bracey won both sprint events at the 1928 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships with times of 9.6 seconds in the 100-yard race and 20.9 seconds in the 220-yard race. He was the first athlete from Rice to win an NCAA track championship in any event, and it was 1938 before another Rice athlete (Fred Wolcott) accomplished the feat.
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