Cliff Bourland
Bourland, circa 1942
Personal information
Full nameClifford Frederick Bourland
BornJanuary 1, 1921
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 1, 2018(2018-02-01) (aged 97)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1948 London 4x400 m relay

Clifford Frederick Bourland (January 1, 1921 – February 1, 2018)[1][2] was an American athlete who won a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Born in Los Angeles, California, of a German mother and an American father, Bourland ran in a competition for the first time in 1932. Graduating from Venice High School in Los Angeles, Bourland enrolled to University of Southern California and was coached by the famous Dean Cromwell. Bourland won the AAU championships in 400 m and the NCAA championships in 440 yd in 1942 and 1943. During the World War II, Bourland served in the Navy as a captain of a landing craft tank. At the London Olympics, Bourland was fifth in 200 m and won the gold medal as a member of American 4 × 400 m relay team, running the second leg in 47.3 seconds.[3]

After the Olympics, Bourland retired from sports. After a failed attempt to start a career in municipal politics, he was hired by an insurance company. In 1984 he was a part owner of the mortgage banking firm called Norris, Biggs and Simpson.[1]

Competition record

[edit]
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  United States
1948 Olympics London, England 5th 200 m 21.3

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b LA84 Foundation: An Olympian's Oral History - Clifford Bourland Archived 2010-05-05 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Cliff Bourland, America's oldest living gold medalist, dies at 97". chicagotribune.com.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Cliff Bourland". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
[edit]
1876-1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980-1992
The Athletics Congress
1992 onwards
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
  • OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, and since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qualification
Men's track
and road athletes
Men's field athletes
Women's track athletes
Women's field athletes
Coaches
  • Dean Cromwell (men's head coach)
  • Emmett Brunson (men's assistant coach)
  • Ward Haylett (men's assistant coach)
  • Tom Jones (men's assistant coach)
  • Emil Von Elling (men's assistant coach)
  • Fred Travalena (road event coach)
  • Catherine Meyer (women's coach)


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