Gil Dodds (athlete)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gilbert Lothair Dodds |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
June 23, 1918 Norcatur, Kansas, USA |
| Died | February 3, 1977 (aged 58) |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 148 lb (67 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event(s) | Mile run |
| Retired | 1947 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 4:05.3 World Record Holder (indoors) (1944–1948), American Record Holder (1943) |
| Updated on December 29, 2008. | |
Gilbert Lothair Dodds (June 23, 1918 – February 3, 1977), called "The Flying Parson", was an American distance runner and athlete. In the 1940s, he held the American and world records for the mile run. He was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States in 1943.
When in race condition, Dodds weighed 148 pounds (67 kg) and stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall.
Gilbert Lothair Dodds was born in Norcatur, Kansas, one of five children and the son of Rev. and Mrs. J. G. Dodds. His minister father was half English and half Irish; his mother was of German ancestry.
The family moved to Falls City, Nebraska when Rev. Dodds became the minister at Falls City Brethren Church. Gil Dodds attended Falls City High School, where he became a distance runner, coached by Lloyd Hahn, a runner in the 1924 Summer Olympics who lived nearby. Dodds never lost a race in high school. In 1935, he entered two events at a track meet in Peru, Nebraska and won both, setting state records in the mile (4:49.6) and half-mile (2:09.5), breaking the old records by 13.4 and 4.5 seconds, respectively. He was the state champion in the mile race in 1935, 1936 and 1937 and held the state record at 4:28.1 when he graduated in 1937. As a junior in high school, he developed a hernia while playing tennis; for the rest of his running career, he wore a truss while running to protect himself.
He attended Ashland University (class of 1941), Gordon Divinity School and Wheaton College and had a winning steak of 39 races. On November 25, 1940, Dodds took his first national championship when he won the NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship in East Lansing, Michigan. Dodds was the AAU indoor mile champion in 1942, 1944, and 1947. Outdoors he set the American mile record of 4:06.5 in 1943 in Boston, finishing second to Sweden's Gunder Hägg.
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