Jim Lea

In 1956 at the Modesto Relays, Jim Lea ran 440 y in 45.8 to break the world record for the Imperial distance. He was AAU champion in the one-lap race in 1954 and won the NCAA title in 1953-54 for Southern Cal. At the 1955 Pan American Games, he won a silver medal in the 400 and ran on the gold-medal winning 4×400 relay team (with John Mashburn, Lon Spurrier, and Lou Jones). After college he represented the Southern Cal Striders, and served with the US Air Force. He later attended law school at Santa Clara University, and coached a track team at the school during that time. He practiced law in Sunnyvale, California and taught real estate law at West Valley College in Saratoga. Lea also served on the Sunnyvale Parks and Recreation Board and was a member of the Santa Clara County Republican Central Committee.

Personal Bests: 100 – 10.6 (1954); 200 – 21.1 (1960); 220y – 20.6s (1956); 400 – 45.6 (1955); 440y – 45.8 (1956).