George Baird (athlete)

George Baird (athlete)
Baird in 1928
Personal information
BornMarch 5, 1907
Grand Island, Nebraska, United States
DiedSeptember 4, 2004 (aged 97)
Rhinebeck, New York, United States
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight66 kg (146 lb)
Sport
SportTrack
Event400 m
College teamIowa
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympics
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam 4×400 m relay

George Hetzel Baird (March 5, 1907 – September 4, 2004) was an American sprint runner who won a gold medal in 4 × 400 m relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics, breaking the world record in the process. A week later he helped to set another world record, at 3:13.4 in the 4×440 yard relay in London. Baird graduated from the University of Iowa and later took various jobs during the Great Depression. He assisted his brother Bill as a puppeteer, and later became an assistant professor of education at the New York University.

Ray Barbuti, Emerson Spencer, Fred Alderman and George Baird at the 1928 Olympics

References