Ewell Made Quite The (Penn) State-ment

How long does it take to make a statement?

Five seconds, if you’re Henry Norwood “Barney” Ewell.

That’s the time Ewell clocked to break the indoor world record in the 50-yard dash, just a few months into his sophomore year at Penn State.

However, true track & field fans might have known Ewell’s name from the year before when he won the 200-meter crown at the AAU Track & Field Championships as a freshman.

Whatever the case might be, Ewell developed into one of the finest sprinters of his generation, completing the 100-200 double twice at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and capturing three Olympic medals (probably several more if World War II hadn’t wiped out the 1940 and 1944 Games, two installments smack dab in the middle of Ewell’s prime).

Ewell made his first two trips to the top of the NCAA podium in 1940, when the meet was held inside a rain-soaked Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. A sloppy track didn’t slow down Ewell one bit, as he won the 100-yard dash in 9.6 and followed that up with a 220-yard victory in 21.0, where he dipped under the 200-meter meet record in the process.

A cross-country flight awaited Ewell for him to get to the 1941 NCAA Championships hosted by Stanford, but once he got his feet on the ground, nothing could stop him from defending those crowns. Ewell surprisingly clocked the same exact times as the previous year, winning the 100-yard dash in 9.6 and taking the 220-yard version in 21.0, which was run on a straight.

Military service beckoned Ewell shortly after the season ended and the Lancaster, Pennsylvania native fought in World War II from 1941 until 1945. Once WWII ended, Ewell returned home and polished off his bachelor’s degree at Penn State in 1948, all while training for a triumphant return to the track.

Ewell made headlines once again in 1948 when he equaled the 100-meter world record of 10.2 at the 1948 AAU Championships, which served as the de facto Olympic Trials. Just a few months later, Ewell earned a gold medal as a member of the 4×100 relay team and doubled up in silver medals in the 100 and 200.