Hamilton, Brutus K.
Track and Field
b. July 19, 1900, Peculiar, MO
d. Dec. 28, 1970
The national decathlon champion in 1920, Hamilton won the silver medal in the event at the Olympics that year, when he was a sophomore at the University of Missouri.
He graduated in 1922 and became track coach at Westminster College in Missouri in 1924, then returned to his alma mater in 1927. The University of California hired him in 1932 and he remained there until his retirement in 1965.
Hamilton was decathlon coach for the U. S. Olympic team in 1932 and 1936. Americans James Bausch and Glenn Morris won gold medals in the event at those Olympics. Hamilton was head coach of the men's track team that won 14 gold medals at the 1952 Olympics.
Among the collegiate athletes he coached were milers Glenn Cunningham at Kansas and Don Bowden at California. Bowden was the first American to break 4 minutes in the 1-mile run.