Born April 4, 1913, Bridgeton, N.J. Died January 4, 1943.

An excellent all?around athlete in the early 1940s, John Borican demonstrated his versatility by winning national pentathlon titles in 1938 and 1939 and the national decathlon crown in 1941. He was also a good 400 hurdler and placed second in that event at the 1938 USA?Germany dual meet. It was indoors, however, where Borican posted a record that may never be equaled. His best season was 1939 when he won 11 of 15 races and set world indoor bests in the 800 meters, 880 yards and 1,000 yards. He also set a world indoor best at three?quarters of a mile in 1940. Overall, he won won national outdoor 800 titles in 1941 and 1942 and claimed four?straight national indoor titles at 1,000 yards or 1,000 meters from 1939 to 1942. In 1939, he set his 1,000?yard record against another Hall of Famer, Glenn Cunningham, in a match race. One of his outdoor bests included a 46.2 for 440 yards on a straight course. World War II prevented any Olympic appearance. A portrait artist by profession, Borican had his brilliant career cut short on Jan. 4, 1943, when he died of a mysterious form of pernicious anemia.