Floyd Smart

Smart became an athlete at Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois,^[2][3] leading the school to team titles at the 1915 interscholastic meets of both Illinois (in Class B) and Michigan.^[4][5][6] He was highly versatile,^[7] scoring points in the sprints, hurdles, high jump and long jump;^[8] in one 1917 dual meet between Northwestern University (which he then represented) and Indiana he won six individual events.^[9]

Smart won the 440 yd hurdles at the 1917 Penn Relays, overtaking world record holder Billy Meanix on the final straight,^[8][10][11] although 2 ft 6 in (76.2 cm) hurdles, rather than the usual 3 ft (91.4 cm) hurdles, were used in that race.^[12] Later that year, Smart won his first title at the national championships, defeating both Meanix and the previous year's champion, Walter Hummel; his winning time of 54.8 was only 0.2 seconds off the world record and equaled Hummel's meeting record.^[13][14] In 1918 Smart underwent military officer training at Camp Grant and qualified as a lieutenant; like many other top athletes, he missed that year's national championships due to World War I.^[15][16]

Smart returned to competition in 1919, and was favored to regain the national 440 yd hurdles title.^[17] He won the event in 55.6, ahead of Meanix;^[18] he won a second title in the long jump with a jump of 22 ft 7+1⁄4 in (6.88 m), overtaking his Chicago A.A. clubmate Sherman Landers in the final round.^[18][19][20]

In June 1920 Smart won the 440 yd hurdles in 55.6 at the Midwestern Tryouts, a qualifying meet for the United States Olympic Trials of that year.^[21] At the final Trials, however, he only made it past the heats as a fastest loser, and was eliminated in the semi-finals.^[22] He was named to the Olympic team,^[23] but only as an alternate, and did not get to run at the Olympics; instead, he represented the United States in meets against the national teams of Sweden and France (in Paris) and the British Empire (in London). He won the 400 m/440 yd hurdles in both of these meets.^[24][25][26]

Smart died at his home in Glen Ellyn, Illinois in November 1955. He was survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.^[2]