Billy Brown (athlete)

Brown was born in Baker, Louisiana on August 3, 1918.[1] He studied at Baker High School and led the school's track and field team; additionally, he was a good scholastic basketball player.[2] He set long-standing Louisiana state high school records in both the long jump (then known as the broad jump) and the triple jump (then hop, step and jump); his triple jump mark was a national high school record.[2]

Brown won his first national (AAU) senior championship title in the triple jump as a high school junior in 1936; he jumped 49 ft 2 in (14.98 m), defeating both defending champion Rolland Romero and 1934 champion Dudley Wilkins. He also won the AAU junior championship that year.[2][3] At the 1936 United States Olympic Trials, held separately a week after the AAU meet, Brown placed third behind Romero and Wilkins with a jump of 49 ft 1 in (14.96 m); the top three qualified for the Olympic Games in Berlin.[4]^:83 The 17-year-old Brown was the youngest athlete on the men's Olympic track squad.[2] In Berlin he was not at his best and placed 17th, reaching 14.36 m (47 ft ​1 ³⁄₄ in) on his best attempt.[1]

Brown repeated as AAU triple jump champion in 1937, jumping 49 ft ​7 ¹⁄₄ in (15.11 m).[3] After graduating from high school he went to Louisiana State University (LSU), where he was coached by Bernie Moore; Moore's coaching emphasized the sprints and the long jump rather than the triple jump, which before 1959 was not contested at the NCAA championship meet in non-Olympic years.[2][5][6] Brown lost the AAU triple jump title in 1938, when he placed third.[3] During his collegiate career Brown set LSU school records in the long jump, the triple jump, the 100-yard dash and the 220-yard dash.[2]

In April 1939 Brown set his personal long jump best (25 ft ​4 ³⁄₄ in / 7.74 m) in a triangular meet against Rice University and Texas, but was then sidelined by injuries.[5] He recovered to place second with 24 ft ​8 ³⁄₄ in (7.53 m) at the 1939 NCAA championships.[6] At the 1940 NCAA meet Brown was again second in the long jump (behind Jackie Robinson), also second in the 220 yards, and third in the 100 yards; he was the top scorer of the meet.[2][6] Brown regained the AAU triple jump title in 1940, jumping 50 ft ​2 ⁵⁄₈ in (15.30 m) for a then personal best; he also won his first AAU long jump title that year.[3][7]

Brown won his only NCAA title in 1941, winning the long jump with a jump of 24 ft ​7 ¹⁄₄ in (7.50 m); in addition, he was second in the 100 yards and third in the 220 yards, and was the leading scorer of the meet for the second consecutive year.[2][6] At the 1941 AAU championships he repeated as triple jump champion with 50 ft ​11 ¹⁄₂ in (15.53 m); the jump was his lifetime best, and broke Dan Ahearn's old American record from 1911 by half an inch.[3][8] He also repeated as AAU long jump champion, just missing his personal best with a leap of 25 ft ​4 ¹⁄₂ in (7.73 m).[9] Brown finished 1941 as world leader in the long jump (with his AAU jump) and joint world leader in the 100-yard dash at 9.5; his triple jump mark ranked him third in the world.[7]

Brown graduated from LSU in 1941 and joined the United States Navy, but continued his track career.[2] He won his last national titles as a Navy athlete; he successfully defended both the long jump and triple jump AAU titles in 1942, and won his final national title in the triple jump in 1943.[2][7] After receiving his discharge from the Navy Brown had a long business career with Kaiser Aluminum, eventually becoming the company's vice president; he retired in 1983.[1] He died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on December 29, 2002.[1]