View source for Bill Carr

{{Short description|American sprinter (1909–1966)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Bill Carr
| image = Bill Carr 1932.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Carr playing tennis, 1932
| full_name = William Arthur Carr
| national_team = United States
| birth_date = {{birth date|1909|10|24}}
| birth_place = [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age |1966|01|14|1909|10|24}}
| death_place = [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
| education = [[University of Pennsylvania]]
| occupation = corporate executive
| employer = Prismo Safety Products
| sport = outdoor track and field
| universityteam = [[Penn Quakers]]
| headercolor = lightsteelblue
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Los Angeles]]|[[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres|400 metres]]}}
{{MedalGold|1932 Los Angeles|[[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
}}

'''William Arthur Carr''' (October 24, 1909 &ndash; January 14, 1966) was an American [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]] and double [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] champion in 1932.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Bearden |first=Russell E. |title=Bill Carr (1909–1966) |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/bill-carr-1612/ |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |language=en-US}}</ref> Called the "Arkansas flyer," Carr never lost a race during his college and Olympic career.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=William Arthur Carr |url=https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/william-arthur-carr/ |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=University Archives and Records Center |publisher=University of Pennsylvania}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=March 19, 1933 |title=Carr's Running Days at College Are Over |pages=31 |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/03/19/105119753.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |access-date=June 4, 2022}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Carr was born and raised in [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=January 28, 1966 |title=Carr is Buried in Simple Rights |pages=6 |work=The El Dorado Times (El Dorado, Arkansas) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103176395/bill-carr/ |access-date=June 4, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> His parents were Ann Holmes and William L. Carr, a traveling salesman with the Mann-Tankersley Drug Co.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=August 2, 1903 |title=Wm. L. Carr, of Pine Bluff, Marries Miss Holmes of Beaumont |pages=1 |work=[[Pine Bluff Daily Graphic]] (Pine Bluff, Arkansas) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103187433/marriage-of-carr-holmes/ |access-date=June 5, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He received his elementary school education at Lakeside School in Pine Bluff.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 21, 1917 |title=Lakeside School |pages=7 |work=Pine Bluff Daily News (Pine Bluff, Arkansas) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103176162/bill-carr/ |access-date=June 4, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

He attended [[Pine Bluff High School]] in 1925.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021 |title=Carr Memorial Room |url=http://www.pineblufflibrary.org/about/carr-memorial-room/ |access-date=April 1, 2021 |website=Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System}}</ref> In his freshman year, he joined the track team because he was too small for basketball or football.<ref name=":5" /> He demonstrated skill at jumping, but he broke both ankles leaping over a bar and had resign late in the season.<ref name=":7" />

Carr was recruited back to the high school track team in 1927.<ref name=":0" /> He received national attention at the spring state meet in [[Arkadelphia, Arkansas|Arkandelphia]] for his record–making high jump of 6.75 feet and a long jump of 21 feet 4 inches.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to winning those two events, he came in second at the 100-yard sprint and 220-yard sprint.<ref name=":0" /> In a prior track meet, he had already matched the Arkansas record in the 100-yard event.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, national sports writers were calling him the top high school track star in the United States.<ref name=":0" />

A local banker convinced Carr to enroll in the [[Mercersburg Academy]] in [[Mercersburg, Pennsylvania]] for 1928 in preparation for an Ivy League college.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> There, he was coached by [[Jimmy Curran]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 7, 1963 |title=Heart Attack Fells Coach |pages=1 |work=The Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103187674/curran/ |access-date=June 5, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> While he was at Mercersburg, they won the annual inter-scholastic track meet to become state champions.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |date=May 19, 1928 |title=Schoolboys Set Two New Marks |pages=1 |work=The Evening News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103187841/bill-carr/ |access-date=June 5, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Carr was the Pennsylvania champion in the 100-meter sprint, the 200-meter sprint, and the long jump, setting a state record for the latter.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":10" /> He graduated from Mercersburg in the spring of 1929.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-21 |title=Outdoor Track & Field - Boys - Varsity |url=https://www.mercersburg.edu/outdoor-track-field-boys-varsity |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Mercersburg Academy |language=en}}</ref>

Carr was recruited by the [[University of Pennsylvania]] and started there in 1929.<ref name=":0" /> He was on the track team and served as its co-captain.<ref name=":4" /> At Penn, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi ([[St. Anthony Hall]]) and a member of the [[Sphinx Senior Society]].<ref name=":4" /> He was president of the sophomore class and received the Golden Spoon as the "most outstanding, all-around student."<ref name=":0" /> For three years, he received the Varsity Club scholarship "for scholastic excellence, character and athletic ability."<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |date=January 26, 1933 |title=Carr Will Retire after 1933 Season |pages=21 |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/01/26/105113823.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |access-date=June 5, 2022}}</ref> He graduated from the [[Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania]] in 1933 with a B.S. in economics.<ref name=":4" />

== Track and field ==
At the University of Pennsylvania, Carr was coached by 1904 Olympian [[Lawson Robertson]] who called him "the fastest Carr in America."<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |date=January 15, 1966 |title=Bill Carr, Victor in 1932 Olympics |pages=27 |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/01/15/79281114.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |access-date=June 4, 2022}}</ref> In college, he never lost the 400-meter sprint.<ref name=":0" /> He also anchored the 1,600-meter relay team—which also never lost a competition during his college years.<ref name=":0" /> His favorite events became the long jump, the 440-meter, and the 800-meter.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2011-07-16 |title=William Arthur "Bill" Carr |url=http://www.sprintic.com/athletes/bill_carr/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716123020/http://www.sprintic.com/athletes/bill_carr/ |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |access-date=2022-06-05 |publisher=Sprintic magazine}}</ref>

He was the 1931 [[Amateur Athletic Union]] Indoor national champion in the 300-yards event.<ref name=":3" /> At the 1932 Intercollegiate Championships ([[IC4A]]) championships in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley California]], Carr beat world-record holder [[Ben Eastman]] in the 440-yard dash, winning the IC4A 440-yard title for 1932.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Bill Carr |url=https://usatf.org/athlete-bios/bill-carr |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=USA Track & Field}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> His time was 47.0 seconds; Eastman's record was 46.4 seconds.<ref name=":0" /> Carr was ranked number one in the world at the 400-meters.at the end of the 1932 season.<ref name=":3" />

Several weeks later in [[Palo Alto, California]], Carr again outran Eastman at the 1932 USA Outdoor Championships and [[1932 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|1932 United States Olympic trials (track and field)]].<ref name=":3" /> In addition to making the United States Olympic team, Carr was also a favorite for the 400-meter gold medal at the [[1932 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], California.<ref name=":6" />

On August 4, 1932 in Los Angeles Olympics, Carr placed first in his semi-final 400-meter heat with a time of 47.2 seconds, breaking [[Eric Liddell]]’s world record time of 47.6 seconds from the [[1924 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=":0" /> However, Eastman matched Liddell’s record in his semi-final heat, setting up a final Olympic race that ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the “400-meter race of the century."<ref name=":0" /> In the final, Eastman led during most of the race, but Carr emerged victorious in the last 100-meters with a time of 46.2 seconds.<ref name=":0" /> He had not only won a gold medal, but he also had set a world record.<ref name=":0" /> A few days later, Carr won another gold medal as the anchor of America's 4 × 400-meter relay team.<ref name=":3" /> Although not scheduled to complete, he substituted for Arnold Adams who had to withdraw due to an injury.<ref name=":6" /> They set a new world record of 3:08.2.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19320807&id=BnE-AAAAIBAJ&pg=6199,1425818 |date=August 7, 1932 |access-date=October 21, 2015 |newspaper=[[The Tuscaloosa News]] |title=Iso-Hollo Wins Steeplechase Crown Easily |author=Gould, Alan (AP)}}</ref>

Back at college in 1933, Carr had a "lackluster" performance in the spring season.<ref name=":0" /> On January 25, 1933, he announced that he would retire from track after the 1933 season.<ref name=":8" /> He said, "I expect to be a member of the United States track and field team that will tour Europe next summer. When the team returns, my uniform and spiked shoes will be put away for good."<ref name=":8" /> He planned on retiring so that he could focus on a new career in business.<ref name=":8" />

=== World Records ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Event
!Time
!Date
!Competition
!Record held through
!Reference
|-
|400-meter
|46.20
|August 5, 1932
|1932 Summer Olympics
|1948 (tied)
|<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" />
|-
|1600-meter relay
|3.08.20
|August 7, 1932
|1932 Summer Olympics
|
|<ref name=":3" />
|}

== Honors ==
* In 2008, Carr was inducted into the [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame]].<ref name=":3" />
* Carr was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1962.<ref name=":4" />
* Carr was selected for the ''Sports Illustrated''{{'s}} All-Time Olympic Team in 1954.<ref name=":0" />
* He was selected as the number one 400-meter runner for 1925-49 by ''Track & Field News''' World Athletes of the Century.<ref name=":3" />
* The Bill Carr Memorial Room at the [[Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System#Pine Bluff Public Library|Pine Bluff Public Library]] is named in his honor.<ref name=":5" />
* A statue of Carr was installed at Franklin Field of the University of Pennsylvania.<ref name=":0" />
* A statue was dedicated in his honor at [[Mercersburg Academy|Mercersburg Preparatory Academy]].<ref name=":0" />
* In 1932, he received a special trophy from his hometown of Pine Bluff, Arkansas.<ref name=":0" />

== Later life ==
On March 18, 1933, Carr was in a car accident that broke both his ankles and his right pelvis.<ref name=":7" /> At the time of the two-car accident, he was standing on the car's running board.<ref name=":7" /> He was in the hospital for four week and was not able to compete in track again.<ref name=":7" /> He had a slight limp as a result of his injuries.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=March 9, 1937 |title=Bill Carr, Olympic Ace, is Peddling Insurance |pages=4 |work=Hope Star (Hope, Arkansas) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103177244/bill-carr/ |access-date=June 4, 2022 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

In 1934, Carr started working for the [[Insurance Company of North America]].<ref name=":9" /> During [[World War II]], he joined the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]], serving as an officer in naval intelligence the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":9" /> While there, he met his wife, Rachel Elizabeth Manasseh, in [[Shanghai|Shanghai, China]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":9" /> She was a lecturer and writer about Oriental art.<ref name=":9" /> They had one son, Alain.<ref name=":9" />

After the war, they lived in [[Japan]] where he became the Far Eastern general manager of the Insurance Company of North America.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":9" /> Next, he worked for [[Pan-American World Airways]] as the general personnel manager.<ref name=":9" /> He became the executive director of the International Center for overseas students in Midtown, New York.<ref name=":9" /> He then moved to [[Tokyo|Tokyo, Japan]] where he was both vice president of Prismo Safety Products, a Pennsylvania highway safety and building equipment company, and the Far East representative of the Potter Brothers, a highway building equipment dealer from [[New Jersey]].<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":4" />

In 1966, Carr died from [[congestive heart failure]] in Tokyo at the age of 56.<ref name=":0" /> He was buried in Graceland Cemetery in [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]].<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{USATF}}
* {{USATF Hall of Fame}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|william-arthur-carr}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x400 m Men|1932}}
{{Footer US NC 400m Men}}
{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's 400 m}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1932 Summer Olympics}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Olympic Games|United States}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Bill}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1966 deaths]]
[[Category:Mercersburg Academy alumni]]
[[Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni]]
[[Category:St. Anthony Hall]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Pine Bluff, Arkansas]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Insurance agents]]
[[Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure]]
[[Category:Wharton School alumni]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Arkansas]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]