John Woodruff

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Olympic medal record
Men's Athletics
Gold	1936 Berlin	800 metres

John Youie Woodruff (born July 5, 1915) is a former American athlete, winner of 800 m at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Born in the Pittsburgh southeast suburb of Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, "Long" John Woodruff was only a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh in 1936, when he took the track world literally by storm by finishing second at the National AAU meet, then making the Olympic team. Despite his inexperience, he was the favorite in the Olympic 800 m and he did not disappoint. In one of the more exciting races in Olympic history, Woodruff became boxed in by other runners and was forced to stop running. He then came from behind to win in 1:52.9. The New York Times described the race:

He remembers the anguish of his Olympic race: “Phil Edwards, the Canadian doctor, set the pace, and it was very slow. On the first lap, I was on the inside, and I was trapped. I knew that the rules of running said if I tried to break out of a trap and fouled someone, I would be disqualified. At that point, I didn’t think I could win, but I had to do something.”

Woodruff was a 21-year-old college freshman, an unsophisticated and, at 6 feet 3 inches, an ungainly runner. But he was a fast thinker, and he made a quick decision.

“I didn’t panic,” he said. “I just figured if I had only one opportunity to win, this was it. I’ve heard people say that I slowed down or almost stopped. I didn’t almost stop. I stopped, and everyone else ran around me.”

Then, with his stride of almost 10 feet, Woodruff ran around everyone else. He took the lead, lost it on the backstretch, but regained it on the final turn and won the gold medal. [1]

During a career that was curtailed by World War II, Woodruff won one AAU title in 800 m in 1937 and won both 440 yd and 880 yd IC4A titles from 1937 to 1939. Woodruff also held a share of the world 4 x 880 yd relay record while competing with the national team.

Woodruff graduated in 1939, with a major in sociology, and then earned a Masters Degree in the same field from New York University in 1941. He entered military service in 1941 as a Second Lieutenant and was discharged as a Captain in 1945. He reentered military service during the Korean War, and left in 1957 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Then he worked with the New York City Children's Aid Society, taught school in New York City, was a special investigator for the New York Dept. of Welfare, was Recreation Center Director for the New York City Police Athletic League, and served as a parole officer for the state of New York.

Each year, a 5-kilometer road race is held in Connellsville to honor Woodruff.