IT was a perfect summer’s day, and more than 60,000 people passed through the turnstiles at Ibrox stadium, Glasgow, not to witness a football match but the 65th edition of the annual Rangers Sports day.
Athletes from America and closer to home took part in a full range of track and field events, such as the one-lap obstacle race (pictured). Some of the Americans were able to set fresh all-comers records.
There was, that Saturday in August 1951, even a five-a-side football contest on the newly-laid pitch, involving a clutch of teams including the Old Firm, Hearts and Hibs. Hibs won, beating Third Lanark.
The American athletes caught the eye for much of the day. “Yanks smash Scots records”, ran the headline on the Sports Final edition of the Evening Times.
The high jump, behind one of the goalposts, was especially engrossing, with Alan Paterson, and an 18-year-old American, Herman Wyatt, taking each other on as the bar was raised higher and higher.
Wyatt displaced the bar on two occasions and ended up removing his left shoe. In the end, he won at 6ft 6in, having had fewer failures than Paterson.
“Although successes for the American athletes were fewer than had been expected, their work was what made the day”, concluded Willie Brogan in the Evening Times.
All-comers records were set by the Americans Jim Fuchs, whose first putt registered 55ft 1½in, and Jack Davis, a runaway winner in 14.4 sec of the 120 yards hurdle race.
Read more: Herald Diary
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