Grinnell College Athletics

Myron (Mike) Pilbrow '33 was a national two-mile champion in the days when the NCAA had schools of all sizes in one class. By winning his specialty, the Grinnellian took his place alongside such famous 1933 champs as miler Glenn Cunningham and dashman Ralph Metcalfe. The diminutive (5-6, 122) Pilbrow didn't even know he was a runner until he arrived at Grinnell. Previously he had been in only one race, an interclass half long to see his potential in freshman cross country. The legs of "Iron Mike" carried him to a sensational career as he ruled the collegiate two-milers. Ironically, in 1932 he was beaten only once, at the Drake Relays, but in that race he bettered the Relays record with a 9:13 second-place performance. He finished ahead of Cunningham. In cross country Pilbrow paced the Pioneers to an undefeated season in 1932, besting Iowa, Iowa State, Missouri, and Drake. Usually Mike and two teammates, hand-in-hand, led the pack across the finish line. On campus he also was active in music and drama. From 1949 to 1957, Pilbrow directed the Material Aides section of the American Friends Service Committee (Quakers). In 1947, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and British Friends Service Council accepted one of the most prestigious awards in the world, the Nobel Peace Prize. These sister non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were the very first ONG to have received that award. Pilbrow, who was a school administrator and coach in New York state and in Philadelphia, passed away in 1969. The college honored him with an alumni award in 1958.