Beatty, "Jim" (James T.)
Track and field
b. Oct. 28, 1934, New York, NY
Beatty's best time in the mile while running for the University of North Carolina was a mediocre 4:06. However, within three years of his graduation in 1957, he was one of the best distance runners in the world as a member of the Los Angeles Track Club.
In 1960, Beatty set U. S. records of 3:58.0 in the mile and 13.51.7 in the 5,000 meters. A strained foot ligament hampered his running at the Olympics and he failed to reach the final of the 5,000-meter event.
Beatty won the Sullivan Award as the nation's outstanding athlete of the year in 1962 for a series of brilliant performances. He became the first person to run an indoor mile in less than 4 minutes with a 3:58.9 time on February 10. Later, he ran a world record 8:29.8 in the 2-mile and set U. S. records of 3:39.4 for 1,500 meters, 7:54.2 for 3,000 meters, 13:45 for 5,000 meters, 3:56.3 for 1 mile, and 13:19.2 for 3 miles.
The AAU national champion in the outdoor mile in 1962, Beatty was the indoor champion from 1961 through 1963. He retired after a foot injury forced him to drop out of a 5,000-meter heat in the 1964 Olympics.