Percy Beard

Percy Morris Beard (January 26, 1908 – March 27, 1990) was an American college and international track and field athlete who specialized in the high hurdles event, and won an Olympic silver medal. Beard later became a nationally prominent college track and field coach at the University of Florida.

Athletic career

Percy Beard was born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky in 1908. He became a world-class hurdler at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) in Auburn, Alabama. After graduating from Auburn with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1929, he later competed for the New York Athletic Club in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) competition. He set a world record of 14.2 seconds in the 120-yard high hurdles in 1931 and tied the record again in 1934. A seven-time national AAU high hurdles champion, Beard won the silver medal in the 110-meter high hurdles event at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, finishing second behind U.S. teammate George Saling.

Coaching career

Following his competition running career, Beard later became the head coach of the Florida Gators track and field at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, serving from 1937 to 1964. Under Beard, the Gators won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) outdoor track and field championship twice and were the runners-up four times. He used his Auburn civil engineering background to develop all-weather running tracks and unveiled the first full-scale all-weather track at the 1959 Florida Relays.

Legacy and honors

Beard was a member of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame, The University of Florida honored Beard by naming its track and field facility, Percy Beard Track, for him in 1978. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "honorary letter winner" in 1976.

Beard died in Gainesville in 1990; he was 82 years old. He was survived by his wife Sara, and their three sons.