Floyd George Smart (April 1, 1894 – November 15, 1955) was an Americantrack and field athlete. Smart was United States champion in the440 yd hurdles in 1917 and 1919 and in thelong jump in 1919.
Smart won the440 yd hurdles at the 1917Penn Relays, overtakingworld record holderBilly Meanix on the final straight,[8][10][11] although 2 ft 6 in (76.2 cm) hurdles, rather than the usual 3 ft (91.4 cm) hurdles, were used in that race.[12] Later that year, Smart won his first title at thenational championships, defeating both Meanix and the previous year's champion,Walter Hummel; his winning time of 54.8 was only 0.2 seconds off the world record and equaled Hummel's meeting record.[13][14] In 1918 Smart underwentmilitary officer training atCamp Grant and qualified as a lieutenant; like many other top athletes, he missed that year's national championships due toWorld War I.[15][16]
Smart returned to competition in 1919, and was favored to regain the national 440 yd hurdles title.[17] He won the event in 55.6, ahead of Meanix;[18] he won a second title in thelong jump with a jump of 22 ft 7+1⁄4 in (6.88 m), overtaking his Chicago A.A. clubmateSherman Landers in the final round.[18][19][20]
In June 1920 Smart won the 440 yd hurdles in 55.6 at the Midwestern Tryouts, a qualifying meet for theUnited States Olympic Trials of that year.[21] At the final Trials, however, he only made it past the heats as a fastest loser, and was eliminated in the semi-finals.[22] He was named to theOlympic team,[23] but only as an alternate, and did not get to run at the Olympics; instead, he represented the United States in meets against the national teams of Sweden and France (in Paris) and theBritish Empire (in London). He won the 400 m/440 yd hurdles in both of these meets.[24][25][26]
Smart died at his home inGlen Ellyn, Illinois in November 1955. He was survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.[2]
