Born January 23, 1923, Phoenixville, Pa.

The only American to hold the world record in the steeplechase, Horace Ashenfelter achieved that feat at the 1952 Olympic Games, winning in 8:45.4. The victory helped him win the 1952 Sullivan Award that goes annually to the nation's top amateur athlete.

Ashenfelter, or "Nip" as he was nicknamed, attended Penn State University and won the 1949 national collegiate two-mile title before running for the New York A.C. He won National AAU titles at three different distances, claiming a total of eight in all, including three in the steeplechase. He also competed in the 1956 Olympic Games but failed to get past the trial heats. An FBI agent during his competitive days, Ashenfelter later became a salesman. He had a brother, Bill, who also was an Olympic steeplechaser in 1952.