Lou Jones set a world 400 m record in winning the 1955 Pan American Games. He improved the world mark to 45.2 at the 1956 Final Trials, but failed to show his true form at the Melbourne Olympics. In the individual 400 m he ran no better than 48.1 for fifth place and in the relay he was clocked at a modest 47.1 as lead-off man in the final. At the 1955 Pan American Games he also ran on the gold medal winning 4×400 relay team (with John Mashburn, Lon Spurrier, and Jim Lea). After his brief career came to a close, Jones graduated from Manhattan College and then earned a master’s degree from the Teacher’s College at Columbia. He became a high school teacher, coach, and administrator in New York, and later was Westchester County’s Equal Employment Opportunity Unit.
Personal Best: 400 – 45.2 (1956).
United States