Two of the world's best hurdlers during World War I were Robert Simpson of the U.S. and his brother-in-law Earl Thomson of Canada. In 1916, Simpson broke Thomson's word record in the 120-yard hurdles by two-tenths of a second when he ran 14.6. That mark stood for four years before Thomson reclaimed the record with a 14.4 in 1920. One of the University of Missouri's finest athletes, Simpson won the National AAU high hurdles title in 1916 while in school, then claimed another title in 1919 representing the Illinois A.C. At the Inter-Allied Games in 1919, Simpson recorded a double victory in the 110m hurdles and 200m hurdles. As Missouri's head track coach from 1920 to 1926, he tutored future Hall of Famers Brutus Hamilton and Jackson Scholz. Simpson later coached at Iowa State University.
World Record: 120 yd. hurdles - 14.60
1916 AAU: 110 m hurdles (1st) 1919 AAU: 110 m hurdles (1st)
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