John Paul Jones (runner)
Jones c. 1911
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 15, 1890 Washington, D.C., United States |
| Died | January 5, 1970 (aged 79) Tucson, Arizona, United States |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Height | 179 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 800 m – mile |
| Club | Cornell Big Red, Ithaca |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800 m – 1:53.1y (1912) 1500 m – 3:57.2 (1912) Mile – 4:14.4 (1913) |
John Paul Jones (October 15, 1890 – January 5, 1970) was an American track athlete who set several world records in the mile, including the first mile record to be ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1913.
Jones entered Cornell University in 1909, majoring in mechanical engineering. He showed little initial promise in track, not making the team until his last year and not impressing until his last race. An extremely popular and handsome man, Jones worked long hours on his studies, played basketball and tennis in the summer and ran as a pastime. As a senior, he was selected for membership in the Quill and Dagger society.
But he worked and trained hard as a runner and had the most successful coach of the era, Jack Moakley. Initially a cross country runner, he won the freshman intercollegiate championships easily and in the fall of his second year won the IC4A cross country championship.
On May 27, 1911, Jones ran in the IC4A championships at the Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium in Allston, Massachusetts in front of 12,000 spectators. Entered in the mile, Boyle of Penn State led at the quarter in 59 2⁄5 followed by his teammate Wilton Paull. Jones hung back in fifth place. Hanavan of Michigan State led at the half-mile mark with a 2:08 1⁄5, with Paull in second and Jones in third. Paull grabbed the lead at 1,000 yards, but Hanavan regained it for a lap. Then, Jones lengthened his stride and passed Paull and Hanavan, winning by 10 yards. His time: 4:15 2⁄5, a new amateur world record, finally surpassing Thomas Conneff's 4:15 3⁄5 set 16 years earlier. However the time was inferior to the professional record of 4:12 3⁄4 set by Walter George in 1886.
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