Jayhawk great Glenn Cunningham to be enshrined

Former Kansas University track and field great Glenn Cunningham will be inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, it was announced last week. Cunningham, who will be honored in Utica, N.Y. in July, was a two-time national champion for the Jayhawks during his four-year Kansas career (1931-34). He also competed in two Olympic Games, snagging silver in the 1,500 meters at the 1936 Games in Berlin.

Cunningham is nationally known for being one of the greatest middle distance runners in American history. In addition to his silver medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he went on to set a world record in the 800 meter with a time of 1:49.7. In 1938, he set the indoor mile world record with a time of 4:04.4, surpassing the outdoor record by a full two seconds. He is the only performer in the track annals of the Big Six and Big Seven conferences ever to win two American Olympic berths.