Word: mel
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Dusty Victory. Mel Patton was born in Los Angeles, and like most great runners, had no speedsters in his family. His father, a power company lineman, was stocky and unstreamlined...
...eight, Mel was hit by a truck outside his home, and his left leg was shattered one inch below the hip. His running career almost ended before it started. "I was fouled up for six months," he says. "I still remember lying on that hospital bed with my leg jacked up in the air by ropes and pulleys. I had to lie a little about no broken bones when I went into the Navy...
...school May Day celebration, when he was twelve, he outsped a dozen other kids across a dusty field, and discovered his talent. It wasn't until he went to University High that Mel met the coach who knew what to do about...
...onetime relay runner at U.S.C., was too wise to monkey with Patton's basic style of running. After one look at him, he decided that what the kid needed most was time to develop. Pursell kept him on the "B" squad as long as he dared (until Mel ran a 10.2 against Manual Arts High one day). Then the coach began to rub OR some polish...
...first, Mel was carrying his arms too low. But the coach cautioned him against raising them too high; that would tighten up the shoulders and cut down his relaxing. Quick to catch on, Mel became a "floater" in two semesters. In his second year he sliced his time down to 9.9 seconds. The-next year it was 9.8. He didn't lose a race in high school...