Fred Puffer
Frederick Collamore "Fred" Puffer (c. 1871 – July 22, 1900) was an American
Biography
Fred Puffer was the son of Customs deputy collector Alfred Puffer, who died while his son was still young.[1][2] The younger Puffer's athletic career began in 1887 with YMCA and the Olympic Athletic Club.[3] His first major successes came at the 1892 national (AAU) championships, where he ran for the Manhattan Athletic Club; he won both the 120 yd high hurdles and the 220 yd low hurdles and helped his club win the team title.[4][5] Puffer's time in the high hurdles, 15.4, was better than the world record but had been wind-aided; additionally, he had knocked down hurdles, which at the time also invalidated performances for record purposes.[5][6]
The 1893 AAU championships were held in conjunction with the
In addition to hurdling, Puffer was a good long jumper, winning Metropolitan and Canadian championship titles in that event in 1893; his mark at the Metropolitan meet, 22 ft 5+1⁄4 in (6.83 m), ranked him in the world's top 10 that year.[3][11] At the 1894 AAU championships Puffer won his third consecutive title in the low hurdles, but was beaten in the 120 yd hurdles by newcomer Stephen Chase, who set a new world record of 15.6.[6][12] In the following years Puffer became an athletic instructor and competed only at the games of the 22nd Regiment, which he belonged to;[3][13] in 1897, he and Eugene Goff were declared professionals and ineligible for amateur competition on the grounds that as instructors they received money from sports.[13] Puffer served with the Army in Cuba during the Spanish–American War of 1898 until he was sent home due to his failing health;[3][4] he never fully recovered, remaining in poor health for his final years.[3] He died of pneumonia at his mother's home in New York City on July 22, 1900.[1]
References
- ^ New York Tribune. July 24, 1900. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- New York Times. July 2, 1875. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Athlete Fred Puffer Dead" (PDF). New York Times. July 24, 1900. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 29, 1900. p. 9. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "The National Championships". New York Athletic Club Journal. Vol. 1, no. 8. New York Athletic Club. November 1892. p. 14. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Mallon, Bill; Buchanan, Ian; Track & Field News. "A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2014". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "A Trophy To Be Proud Of" (PDF). New York Times. August 27, 1893. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "A Medal Worth Winning" (PDF). New York Times. September 9, 1893. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Appreciated by the Athletes" (PDF). New York Times. September 20, 1893. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "To Cut a Gold Medal in Two" (PDF). New York Times. November 21, 1893. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Men's Long Jump – All Years". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Athletes Make New Records" (PDF). New York Times. September 18, 1894. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ a b "Athletic Notes". The Press. June 26, 1897. Retrieved March 18, 2015.