For the U.S. Representative from Connecticut, see John Woodruff (representative). Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, were held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. ... At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, 29 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 6 for women. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[3] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[2] Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... John Woodruff (February 12, 1826 - May 20, 1868) was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut. ...

John Youie Woodruff (July 5, 1915 - October 30, 2007) was a former American athlete, winner of 800 m at the 1936 Summer Olympics. is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, were held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. ...

Born in Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, U.S., "Long" John Woodruff was only a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh in 1936 when he placed second at the National AAU meet, earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Despite his inexperience, he was the favorite in the Olympic 800 m, and he did not disappoint. In one of the most exciting races in Olympic history, Woodruff became boxed in by other runners and was forced to stop running. He then came from behind to win in 1:52.9. The New York Times described the race: Wedgie is gay! Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA, 57 miles (92 km) southeast of Pittsburgh on the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. ... Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... - The Amateur Athletic Union, widely known as the AAU, was formed in United States. ...

He remembers the anguish of his Olympic race: “Phil Edwards, the Canadian doctor, set the pace, and it was very slow. On the first lap, I was on the inside, and I was trapped. I knew that the rules of running said if I tried to break out of a trap and fouled someone, I would be disqualified. At that point, I didn’t think I could win, but I had to do something.”

Woodruff was a 21-year-old college freshman, an unsophisticated and, at 6 feet 3 inches, an ungainly runner. But he was a fast thinker, and he made a quick decision.

“I didn’t panic,” he said. “I just figured if I had only one opportunity to win, this was it. I’ve heard people say that I slowed down or almost stopped. I didn’t almost stop. I stopped, and everyone else ran around me.”

Then, with his stride of almost 10 feet, Woodruff ran around everyone else. He took the lead, lost it on the backstretch, but regained it on the final turn and won the gold medal. [1]

During a career that was curtailed by World War II, Woodruff won one AAU title in 800 m in 1937 and won both 440 yd and 880 yd IC4A titles from 1937 to 1939. Woodruff also held a share of the world 4 x 880 yd relay record while competing with the national team. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A yard (abbreviation: yd) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... IC4A or ICAAAA (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) is an annual competion held at different colleges every year. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... During a relay race, members of a team take turns swimming or running (usually with a baton) parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. ...

Woodruff graduated in 1939, with a major in sociology, and then earned a Masters Degree in the same field from New York University in 1941. He entered military service in 1941 as a Second Lieutenant and was discharged as a Captain in 1945. He reentered military service during the Korean War, and left in 1957 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was the Battalion commander of the 369th Artillary later the 569 Transportation Batallion NYARNG. Woodruff also worked as a teacher in New York City, a special investigator for the New York Dept. of Welfare, a recreation center director for the New York City Police Athletic League, and a parole officer for the state of New York. Sociology (from Latin: socius, companion; and the suffix -ology, the study of, from Greek λόγος, lógos, knowledge) is an academic and applied discipline that studies society and human social interaction. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ...

Trivia

• Each year, a 5-kilometer road race is held in Connellsville to honor Woodruff.

• Woodruff was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter organization established for African Americans.[2]

Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. ... The Greek alphabet (Greek: ) is an alphabet consisting of 24 letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 8th or early 9th century BC. It was the first alphabet in the narrow sense, that is, a writing system using a separate symbol for each vowel... The terms fraternity and sorority (from the Latin words and , meaning brother and sister respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Rotary International, Optimist International, or the Shriners. ...

External links

• John Woodruff, Connellsville's Olympic Champion by Jim Kriek
• The John Woodruff Story by Julie Bertsch
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on Woodruff's 70th anniversary of race
• Article on Woodruff, 70 years after his Olympic race
• NY Times Obituary