Grinnell College Athletics

F. Morgan Taylor '26, a medal winner at three Olympic Games, is Grinnell's most famous athlete. He took the gold in his specialty, the 400-meter hurdles, at Paris in 1924 in a record time of :52.6 seconds. Running for the Illinois Athletic Club of Chicago, the big blonde placed third at Amsterdam in 1928. In 1932 at Los Angeles, where he was the U.S. flag bearer, he won the bronze medal again despite a sore leg.  His Olympic accomplishments and four national AAU championships in the hurdles won him election to the prestigious Helms Foundation National Hall of Fame in 1967. Taylor dominated college competition in several track events, and still holds Grinnell's record in the hurdles and the long jump at 25-2.  At Grinnell, the Sioux City, Iowa, native also was an ace pass catcher in football. In 1925 he grabbed a 40-yard toss that helped the Pioneers nick Iowa State, 14-13. On campus he was an all-around achiever, pursuing dramatics and vocal music as well as athletics. Later Taylor, who died in 1975, found success as a retail business executive.