Percy Beard

Percy Morris Beard (January 26, 1908 – March 27, 1990) was an American college and international track and field athlete who specialized in the high hurdles event, and won an Olympic silver medal. Beard later became a prominent college track and field coach.

Athletic career

Percy Beard was born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky in 1908. He became a world-class hurdler at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) in Auburn, Alabama, and after graduating from Auburn with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1929, the New York Athletic Club. He set a world record of 14.2 seconds in the 120-yard high hurdles in 1931 and tied the record again in 1934. A seven-time national Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) high hurdles champion, Beard won the silver medal in the 110-meter high hurdles event at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, finishing second behind U.S. teammate George Saling.

Coaching career

Following his competition running career, Beard later became the Florida Gators track and field head coach at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, from 1937 to 1964., University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 136–137 (2009). Retrieved April 26, 2011. Under Beard, the Gators won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) outdoor track and field championship twice and were the runners-up four...
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