Horace Odell

Odell was born in the Richmond Hill neighborhood in Queens, New York City.[2] His father, Horace Sr., had a track and field background and had been part of a record-setting Irish American Athletic Club relay team in 1907.[3][4] The younger Odell represented the New York Athletic Club and Manhattan College, and won the 1933 IC4A javelin throw championship with a throw of 205 ft 1⁄2 in (62.49 m).[5] He placed third at the national championships later that year.[6] He graduated Manhattan College in 1935.

Odell repeated as IC4A champion in 1934, defeating Stanford's Johnny Mottram, who had been the favorite.[7] The following week, aided by a tailwind,[8] he threw 221 ft 11 in (67.64 m) at the N.Y.A.C. Games; it was the best throw by an American that year, within a foot of James DeMers's American record,[8][9][10] and remained a meeting record until 1963.[11] Despite this, Odell only placed fourth at the 1934 national championships[6] and fifth at the NCAA championships.[12]

In 1935 Odell only placed third at the IC4A championships (Mottram won)[13] and fourth at the NCAA meet (Charles Gongloff won),[12] but won his first title at the national championships with a throw of 217 ft 1+5⁄8 in (66.18 m).[6][14] Entering 1936, a panel of leading coaches considered Odell likely to qualify for the United States team for the 1936 Summer Olympics.[15] He won at the Eastern Tryouts, a qualifying meet for the final Olympic Trials, with a throw of 213 ft 9 in (65.15 m);[16] in another pre-Trials meet, the national championships (held separately from the Trials for the first time since 1924), he placed second behind Mottram.[6] At the final Trials, however, Odell didn't place in the top six and the three Olympic spots went to Lee Bartlett, Malcolm Metcalf and Alton Terry.[17]

Odell later made a living as a real estate salesman.[2] He died in Venice, Florida in January 1984.[2]