Frank Shea | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 19, 1894 |
| Died | August 6, 1978(1978-08-06) (aged 84) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Known for | AAU champion, 440-yard dash (1917, 1919, 1920) NCAA champion, 440-yard dash (1921) |
Frank J. Shea (March 19, 1894 – August 6, 1978) was an American track and field athlete. While competing for theUniversity of Pittsburgh, he won the440-yard dash competition at theAmateur Athletic Union championships in 1917, 1919 and 1920 and at the 1918IC4A meet.[1][2][3] He also won the 440-yard dash at the firstNCAA track and field championships in1921 with a time of 49 seconds.[4][5]
He was a member of the U.S. Olympic team at the1920 Summer Olympics inAntwerp, Belgium, and narrowly missed winning a medal in two events.[6] In the 400-meters finals, Shea finished fourth after a three-way photo finish for the silver medal, as three runners (Guy Butler,Nils Engdahl and Shea) finished with the same time of 49.9 seconds. In the four-by-400 meters relay race, Shea ran on the American relay team that finished in fourth place—one second behind the first-place British team and one-tenth of a second behind the third-place French team.[1] Shea's best time in the 440-yard race was 47.6 seconds in 1918.[1] In May 1922, Shea was appointed as the track coach at the University of Pittsburgh.[7] Shea died in 1978 atHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, at age 84.[1]
