Bill Meanix

Meanix became a track athlete at the English High School in Boston, Massachusetts.[2] He subsequently studied at Colby College and Harvard.[2] At first, he did not specialize in any one event, but competed in the sprints, hurdles and the shot put.[3]

Representing the Boston A. A., Meanix won the 440 yd (402 m) hurdles at the 1914 United States championships, becoming the inaugural champion;[4] while the championships had been held since 1876, this was the first time the 440 yd hurdles had been contested.[4][5] His winning time of 57.8 seconds was a new American record,[6] although Charles Bacon had run the slightly shorter 400 m hurdles in 55.0, equivalent to 55.3–55.4 for the imperial distance;[7] the world record for the imperial hurdles was 56.8, held by Britain's G. R. L. Anderson.[4][6]

On July 16, 1915 Meanix ran the 440 yd hurdles in 54.6 at Cambridge, Massachusetts, improving Anderson's world record by more than two seconds and also breaking Bacon's time.[6] He set his record in the same meet where Norman Taber surpassed Walter George's mile world record from 1886.[6] This time would remain Meanix's best, and stood as a world record until John Norton ran 54.2 in 1920.[8][9][note 1] Meanix won the 1915 national championship in an even faster time, 52.6, but that race was held on a straight track and was wind-aided, making the time statistically invalid.[5][13] His most serious rival in that race was August Muenter, who had earlier run 53.6 in similar conditions, but he fell at the ninth hurdle while trailing Meanix.[13][14][15]

In 1916 Meanix was challenged as the leading American by Walter Hummel, who defeated him by two yards at the national championships in the meeting record time of 54.8.[5][16][17] The following week Meanix beat him in a rematch, running 55.0,[7][18] but Hummel was still selected for the AAU's top All-American team of the year.[19] At the 1917 Penn Relays Meanix was defeated by another newcomer, Floyd Smart, in 55.2;[20] the Harvard Crimson felt the use of 2 ft 6 in (76.2 cm) hurdles, instead of the usual 3 ft (91 cm) hurdles, had favored Smart,[21] but he beat Meanix again at the national championships, where regular hurdles were used. Meanix took second, ahead of Hummel.[5][22]

With America entering World War I, Meanix enlisted in the United States Army in November 1917.[23][24] He was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in May 1919[24] and resumed hurdling, taking second behind Smart at the 1919 national championships.[25][26] Meanix competed in the 1920 United States Olympic Trials, but was eliminated in the semi-finals and failed to qualify for the Olympic team;[27] instead, he (and Smart, who had also failed to qualify) represented the United States in post-Olympic meets against teams from France, Sweden and the British Empire.[28][29]

In 1923 Meanix was appointed as Tufts College's track and field coach.[2] He later returned to his former high school, the English High School, and had a long career there as a military drill instructor.[30] During World War II Meanix returned to active Army service, now with the rank of major,[31] and commanded an Army Specialized Training Unit at Northwestern University.[30][32] He retired from the Army in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel.[33]

Meanix was inducted in the English High School's Hall of Fame in 1987.[34]