Glenn cunningham youth ranch
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Glenn Cunningham (athlete)
American middle-distance runner
Glenn Vernice Cunningham (August 4, 1909 – March 10, 1988) was an American middle-distance runner, and was considered the greatest American miler of all time. He received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States in 1933.
Early life
[edit]Cunningham was born in Atlanta, Kansas and grew up in Elkhart, Kansas. When he was eight years old, his legs were very badly burned in an explosion caused by his brother accidentally putting gasoline instead of kerosene in the can at his school. His brother Floyd, 13, died in the fire. When the doctors recommended amputating Glenn's legs, he was so distressed his parents would not allow it. The doctors predicted he might never walk normally again. He had lost all the flesh on his knees and shins and all the toes on his left foot. Also, his transverse arch was practically destroyed. However, his great determination, coupled with hours upon hours o
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Glenn Cunningham
Birthday: 08/04/09Mile PR: 4:06.8 - 1934 (former world record)
Metric Mile (1500m) PR: 3:48.0 - 1940
High School: Elkhart HS '30
Hometown: Elkhart, KS
College: University of Kansas '34
Glenn Cunningham is a two-time Olympian at 1500 meters, finishing 4th in Los Angeles 1932 and winning the silver medal in Berlin 1936 with a time of 3:48.4. In 1934, Cunningham, a childhood severe burn victim, set the world record for the Mile in 4:06.8, which stood for three years. The 1933 Sullivan Award winner also set the indoor 1500m and Mile world record, three and two times respectively, and ran a 4:04.4 Mile indoors in 1938 on an oversized track.
In addition, cunningham won the prestigious indoor Wanamaker Mile six times and was selected the best athlete in the 100-year history of Madison Square Garden.
While at the University of Kansas, Cunningham, known as the "Iron Horse of Kansas", won the NCAA 1500m and Mile titles in
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CUNNINGHAM, GLENN (1909-1988)
Glenn Cunningham was born on August 4, 1909, in Atlanta, Kansas. He overcame a near-crippling childhood accident to become one of the world's leading track and field athletes during the 1930s. An Elkhart, Kansas, schoolhouse fire left him at age seven unable to walk for nearly six weeks. After regaining his ambulatory ability, cunningham began running to strengthen his badly scarred legs. In 1930 he was the nation's premier high school mile runner, winning state and national titles, establishing a national high school mile record of 4:24.7, and earning a scholarship to the University of Kansas.
In 1932 Cunningham won the first of three consecutive indoor and outdoor Big 6 (now Big 12) Conference mile championships and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 1500-meter title. He finished fourth in the 1500 meters in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. As the 1933 champion in the ncaa mile and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) 800 a