John Williams Overton

John Williams Overton (October 10, 1894 – July 19, 1918), also known as Johnny Overton, was an American middle-distance runner and soldier who was killed in action in World War I. He was a national champion track and cross country runner at Yale University and joined the United States Marine Corps after his graduation in 1917. In track, he set the world records for the indoor mile run and indoor 1,000-yard distance in 1917. He was also the college cross country champion in 1915 and 1916.

Early life Overton was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 10, 1894. His father was Jesse M. Overton. He had no opportunity to run in the Olympics because the 1916 Summer Olympics were cancelled due to World War I, the first time the Olympics had been cancelled since the modern revival.

He won the intercollegiate cross-country championships in 1915 and 1916. He finished second in the two mile at the intercollegiate track championships in 1915.

1916 In January he won the Rodman Wanamaker mile and a half event in the Millrose Games in New York City. Later that winter he set the world and American record in the indoor run at 2:15.4 while winning the indoor AAU National Championships. He also finished third in the two mile at the intercollegiate track championships in that year. both Finnish Olympic medalists. As the first U.S. citizen across the finish line, he was the national champion.

1917 In 1917 he set the indoor world record for the mile at Meadowbrook Games in Philadelphia with a time of 4:16.0. He took over two seconds off of Abel Kiviat's record of 4:18.2 set more than four years earlier. The record, Kiviat took had stood for only three days. He again set the world and American record in the indoor run March 17 at the AAU Indoor Track and Field Championships at The Armory in New York City. This time his pace was 2:14.0, taking a remarkable 1.4 seconds off his own previous record. Later in March, he lost in a widely discussed race against Joie Ray at the games of the John Wanamaker Commercial Institute at Madison Square Garden.

Marines Overton enlisted in the Marines when the United States joined World War I in April, 1917. Overton was training at Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center before moving to Marine Corps Base Quantico on July 18, 1917, Overton remained at Quantico where he helped with the physical training program until February 1918.

On July 19, 1918, the second day of the offensive, Overton was hit by a shell fragment near his heart and died a few hours later. After the battle, Yale classmate and fellow Nashvillean, Samuel W. Meek, found Overton's body and buried it in a wheatfield about 2,000 yards from Vierzy. In 1923, Overton's father died in a car accident and Overton's mother decided to have her son's body brought to Nashville. He is buried next to his father at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

After his death, he was awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross.

National titles AAU Indoor Track and Field Championships 1000-yard run: 1916, 1917 USA Cross Country Championships Senior race: 1916