Courtney, "Tom" (Thomas W.)
Track and field
b. Aug. 17, 1933, Newark NJ
As a junior at Fordham University, Courtney won the IC4A indoor 1,000-yard run in 1954 and the NCAA outdoor 800-meter run in 1955.
Courtney set a U. S. record of 1:46.4 in 800-meter at the 1956 Olympic trials. He had a memorable duel with Derek Johnson of England in the Olympic final. Johnson took a narrow lead with 40 yards to go, but Courtney nipped him with a lunge at the tape, then collapsed with exhaustion.
He later wrote: "It was a new kind of agony for me. My head was exploding, my stomach ripping and even the tips of my fingers ached. The only thing I could think was, 'If I live, I will never run again.'" The medal ceremony had to be delayed for an hour while he and Johnson recovered.
Courtney did run again. He was the anchorman on the gold medal 4 by 400-meter relay team, and he also won the AAU national 880-yard championship in 1957 and 1958. He set a world record of 1:46.8 in the 880 on May 24, 1957.