Did you know that Archie San Romani a distance runner at Emporia State finished in fourth place at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin?
What made that even more impressive was that San Romani suffered a crippling injury at 8 years old, where he was run over by and truck and never expect to walk again. He took up running as a form of rehabilitation.
As a runner at Emporia State, San Romani won the 1500 meter run at the NCAA outdoor track and field championship in 1935 and again in 1936 setting a new meet record with a time of 3:53.
San Romani also anchored the Hornets’ distance medley relay team when it broke the world record in 1936 at the Kansas Relays.
At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, he finished in fourth place in the 1500 meter run with a time of 3:50.
He was also part of the United States relay team that broke the world record for the 4 by mile relay that year.
In 1937 he ran his personal best indoor mile of 4:07.2 giving him the title of American Indoor Champion.
San Romani also set a world record in the 2000 meters with a time of 5:16.8 at a meet in Helsinki.
That year he was the runner-up for the Sullivan Award, which recognizes the nation’s top amateur athlete.
In 1981 San Romani and his son Archie Jr. became the only father-son duo to set world records.
He is enshrined in the Emporia State Hall of Honor, Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the NAIA Hall of Fame. San Romani was also selected “Most Outstanding Italian Athlete in the United States” by the Italian-American League in 1937.
Now you know
