The 1955 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were organized by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and served as the national championships in outdoor track and field for the United States.
The men's edition was held at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, and it took place 24–25 June. The women's meet was held separately at Blaine Stadium in Ponca City, Oklahoma, on 17-18 June. The women's pentathlon was contested on 15 October in Morristown, New Jersey.
Despite inclement weather, 14,500 fans attended the final day of men's competition. Arnie Sowell's time in the 880 yards was just one tenth off the world record. Because the athletics at the 1955 Pan American Games were so early in the season, marks from the 1955 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships were used to select the women's team for this event. The pentathlon competition decided the first official American record holder as it was the first U.S. competition to use the then-internationally recognized shot put, high jump, 80 m hurdles, 200 m, and long jump events.
Results
Men 100 yards Bobby Morrow 9.5 Rodney Richard 9.5 Dean Smith 9.5 220 yards Rodney Richard 21.0 Dick Blair 21.1 Andrew Stanfield 21.2 440 yards Charles Jenkins Sr. 46.7 James Lea 46.9 Richard Maiocco 47.1 880 yards Arnold Sowell 1:47.6 Thomas Courtney 1:48.0 Bill Tidwell 1:48.1 1 mile Wesley Santee 4:11.5 Fred Dwyer 4:14.1 Bob Seaman 4:14.8 3 miles Horace Ashenfelter 14:45.2 Gordon McKenzie 14:59.6 Bob Hunt 15:13.7 6 miles Richard Hart 31:58.4 Gordon McKenzie 32:28.0 George King 33:00.3 Marathon Nick Costes 2:31:12.4 Rudolfo Mendez 2:44:21.0 Theodore Corbitt 2:49:37.0 120 yards hurdles Milt Campbell 13.9 William Youkers 14.2 Charles Pratt 14.4 220 yards hurdles Charles Pratt 23.5 440 yards hurdles Joshua Culbreath 52.0 Willie Atterberry 52.4 James Luttrell 52.8 2 miles steeplechase Ken Reiser 10:20.7 Horace Ashenfelter 10:28.9 Ed Shea 10:35.0 2 miles walk Henry Laskau 15:09.4 High jump Charles Dumas 2.08 m none awarded Vernon Wilson 2.03 m Ernest Shelton Pole vault Bob Richards 4.57 m Walt Levack 4.42 m none awarded Bobby Smith Long jump Gregory Bell 7.94 m John Bennett 7.65 m Malachi Andrews 7.62 m Triple jump 15.34 m Bill Sharpe 14.79 m Kent Floerke 14.76 m Shot put Parry O'Brien 17.82 m Tom Jones 17.23 m William Nieder 17.02 m Discus throw Parry O'Brien 53.52 m Fortune Gordien 53.19 m Desmond Koch 52.39 m Hammer throw Hal Connolly 60.86 m Robert Backus 56.41 m Samuel Felton 52.17 m Javelin throw Bud Held 79.32 m Cyrus Young 76.80 m William Miller 74.33 m Weight throw for distance Bob Backus Pentathlon Des Koch 3216 pts All-around decathlon Lyman Frasier 6733 pts Decathlon Bob Richards 6873 pts Robert Lawson 6501 pts Joel Shankle 6455 pts
Women 50 yards Isabell Daniels 6.0 Rebecca Ayars Lucinda Williams 100 yards Mae Faggs 10.8 Martha Hudson Alfrances Lyman 220 yards Mae Faggs 25.1 Alfrances Lyman Gayle Dierks 80 m hurdles 11.5 Barbara Mueller Nancy Phillips High jump Mildred McDaniel 1.69 m Billie Jo Jackson 1.54 m Verneda Thomas 1.49 m Long jump Nancy Phillips 5.33 m Shirley Hereford 5.04 m Anna Lois Smith 5.00 m Shot put Wanda Wejzgrowicz 11.39 m Lois Ann Testa 11.17 m Marjorie Larney 10.85 m Discus throw 35.86 m Marjorie Larney 35.08 m Patricia Monsanto 34.47 m Javelin throw Karen Anderson 45.75 m Amelia Wershoven 41.25 m Marjorie Larney 38.83 m Baseball throw Amelia Wershoven Women's pentathlon Barbara Mueller 3539 pts 3431 pts Nancy Phillips 3388 pts
See also List of USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners (men) List of USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners (women)
References
Results