Hume Brothers Had Officials Seeing Double

Robert Hume and Ross Hume of Michigan tied for the mile title at the 1944 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Marquette Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It was the first time in NCAA meet history that a running event ended in a tie, but it was nothing new for these brothers, who gained the nickname the “Dead Heat Twins” during the year for their signature finish of crossing the line hand-in-hand in first place.

In fact, this was the ninth time that the Humes tied for victories in a mile race in 1944, including the Big Ten indoor and outdoor championships. Only once that year were they unsuccessful, failing to tie in a dual meet when an official determined one was a few inches ahead of the other.

Their unique finish provided most of the NCAA race’s drama, as the two finished some 100 yards ahead of the field, which had just four runners (The meet saw reduced entries due to World War II travel restrictions). The Humes’ time of 4:16.6 was short of the 4:14.6 they’d run earlier as the year’s fastest by collegians (in another tie).

The Dead Heat Twins weren’t done.

In 1945, the brothers Hume again tied in the Big Ten indoor and outdoor mile and tried to replicate their NCAA tie – again held in Milwaukee – but officials were able to find Ross just ahead of Robert as they finished 1-2. Ross came back to add another win in the 880, an event Robert took second in at the 1944 meet (In 1945, Robert doubled back in the 2-mile, finishing fifth).

Together, the Humes scored 30 of the Wolverines’ 53 2/5 points, good enough for third place in the team battle. The duo by themselves would have finished fifth in team scoring.

The only other running-event ties in NCAA DI outdoor meet history came coincidentally in the same meet – 1964, in both the 400 and 5000 meters.