Born August 15, 1914 in Bluffton, Ind. Died September 19, 1994.

One of the nation's top distance runners prior to World War II, Donald "Don "Lash won 12 national titles from 1934 to 1940, including seven in a row in cross country. That streak stood until Pat Porter broke it in 1989. In addition, he won the 1936 national collegiate 5,000-meter title while a student at Indiana University. Later that summer, he set an American record at 10,000 meters, clocking 31:06.9. Lash was still a collegian when he competed at the 1936 Olympics, placing 13th in the 5,000 and 8th in the 10,000. He also accounted for a world record that summer when he ran two miles in 8:58.4, breaking the five-year-old record of the legendary Paavo Nurmi. In 1938, Lash won the Sullivan Trophy as the nation's top amateur athlete. Lash was still winning national championships in 1940 but World War II snuffed out any chance for greater Olympic glory. After college, Lash worked for the Indiana State Police, then became an agent for the FBI. After retiring from law enforcement, he went into real estate.