Frank Shea | |
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Born | March 19, 1894 |
Died | August 6, 1978
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States | (aged 84)
Known for | AAU champion, 440-yard dash (1917, 1919, 1920) NCAA champion, 440-yard dash (1921) |
Frank J. Shea (March 19, 1894 – August 6, 1978) was an American track and field athlete. While competing for the University of Pittsburgh, he won the 440-yard dash competition at the Amateur Athletic Union championships in 1917, 1919 and 1920 and at the 1918 IC4A meet. [1] [2] [3] He also won the 440-yard dash at the first NCAA track and field championships in 1921 with a time of 49 seconds. [4] [5]
He was a member of the U.S. Olympic team at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, and narrowly missed winning a medal in two events. [6] In the 400-meters finals, Shea finished fourth after a three-way photo finish for the silver medal, as three runners ( Guy Butler, Nils Engdahl and Shea) finished with the same time of 49.9 seconds. In the four-by-400 meters relay race, Shea ran on the American relay team that finished in fourth place—one second behind the first-place British team and one-tenth of a second behind the third-place French team. [1] Shea's best time in the 440-yard race was 47.6 seconds in 1918. [1] In May 1922, Shea was appointed as the track coach at the University of Pittsburgh. [7] Shea died in 1978 at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at age 84. [1]