Eulace Peacock (August 27, 1914 – December 13, 1996) was an American
track and field athlete in the 1930s.
Peacock was born in
Dothan, Alabama and raised in the
Vauxhall section of
Union Township, New Jersey, where he graduated from
Union High School in 1933.[1] He set the New Jersey high school record in 1933 with a long jump of 24 feet 4.25 inches (7.42 m) that was on the books for 44 years until
Renaldo Nehemiah jumped 24 feet 11 inches (7.59 m) [2]
He became a rival to
Jesse Owens in many sprinting competitions. He broke the high school record in the long jump the same day it was bettered by Owens. "I had that record for two hours."[3] He attended
Temple University in
Philadelphia where he became a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Peacock won the
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) outdoor pentathlon championship six times, in 1934, 1935, 1937, and from 1943 through 1945.
He was a sprinting prodigy, who bested the notable prodigy of his time, Owens, on several occasions.[3] A victory by Peacock over Owens in a July 1935 meet in
Lincoln, Nebraska led The New York Times to say that "Peacock's star still is in the ascendancy" under the headline "Peacock's Victories Over Owens Project Duel for Olympic Fame"[4] After pulling a
hamstring muscle, he was unable to qualify for the
1936 Summer Olympics in
Berlin, Germany.
In 1942 he served in the
United States Coast Guard; in later years he opened a liquor store and a car-rental business. He stayed connected with athletics by officiating at championship events and Olympic qualifying trials. He has been honored by a number of athletic bodies, including the
National Track and Field Hall of Fame.