View source for Tom Courtney

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Short description|American track and field athlete (1933–2023)}}
{{for|the British actor|Tom Courtenay}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = 
| image = Tom Courtney 1956.jpg
| image_size = 190
| caption = Courtney in 1956
| birth_date = {{birth date|1933|08|17}}
| birth_place = [[South Orange, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|08|22|1933|08|17}}
| death_place = [[Naples, Florida]], U.S.
| height = {{convert|1.88|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|81|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| sport = Athletics
| club = US Air Force
| alma_mater = 
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold| [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]]| [[Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres|800 m]]}}
{{MedalGold| 1956 Melbourne | [[Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
}}

'''Thomas William Courtney''' (August 17, 1933 – August 22, 2023) was an American [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]] and winner of two gold medals in the 1956 Olympic Games.

Born in [[Livingston, New Jersey]], and raised in [[Livingston, New Jersey]], Courtney's father was a former minor-league baseball player.<ref name=NYTobit/>

Courtney was a top runner at [[James Caldwell High School]] and came into national prominence while a student at [[Fordham University]], winning the 1955 [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] 880 yd (805 m) title.<ref>[https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/hall-of-honor/thomas-w-courtney/ Thomas W. Courtney], [[Fordham University]]. Accessed August 25, 2023. "Born in Newark, New Jersey, Courtney grew up in Livingston and attended James Caldwell High School, where he established himself as one of the best high school runners in the state before accepting a track scholarship to Fordham."</ref>

An [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] champion in 400 m at 1956 and in 880 yd (805 m) at 1957 and 1958, Courtney had a memorable duel with [[Derek Johnson (athlete)|Derek Johnson]] of [[Great Britain]] in the [[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Olympic]] 800 m final. Johnson took a narrow lead with 40 meters to go, but finally Courtney won by 0.13 [[second]]s, and collapsed with exhaustion. He later wrote:

: "It was a new kind of agony for me. My head was exploding, my stomach ripping and even the tips of my fingers ached. The only thing I could think was, 'If I live, I will never run again.'"

The medal ceremony had to be delayed for an hour while he and Johnson recovered. But Courtney did run again. He was the anchorman on the gold medal 4 × 400 m [[relay race|relay]] team. He also set a [[world record]] of 1:46.8 in the 880 yd (805 m) on May 24, 1957.

Courtney received a [[bachelor's degree]] from Fordham University in 1955, and since 1994, the (autographed) varsity jacket from his college track days hangs in a display case along with similar memorabilia from other great Fordham athletes, such as [[Vince Lombardi]].

Courtney's victory was the last in a series of four straight 800 meter gold medals by the U.S. and the seventh overall to that point in time. He could be considered the end of the dynasty. Since then, the USA has only had one other male winner, [[Dave Wottle]] in 1972 and have only won four bronze medals.

Courtney would later earn his MBA from [[Harvard Business School]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.fordham.edu/university-news/fordham-track-great-to-be-honored-at-the-new-york-athletic-club/|title=Fordham Track Great to be Honored at the New York Athletic Club|date=January 26, 2011}}</ref>

Courtney died of [[amyloidosis]] at an assisted living facility in [[Naples, Florida]], on August 22, 2023, at the age of 90.<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite web |last1=Litsky |first1=Frank |title=Tom Courtney, Sprinter Who Lunged to Grab Olympic Gold, Dies at 90 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/22/sports/olympics/tom-courtney-dead.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 22, 2023 |access-date=August 22, 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=35 USATF Hall of Fame Bio]
*{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/tom-courtney-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171108/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/tom-courtney-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |title=Tom Courtney}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 800 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x400 m Men|1956}}
{{Footer US NC 400m Men}}
{{Footer US NC 800m Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1956 Summer Olympics}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtney, Tom}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:James Caldwell High School alumni]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Livingston, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from South Orange, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Essex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:American men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Fordham Rams men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Deaths from amyloidosis]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]