The 1956 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were organized by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and served as the national championships in outdoor track and field for the United States.
The men's edition was held at Memorial Stadium in Bakersfield, California, and it took place 22–23 June. The women's meet was held separately at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 17-18 August while the pentathlon was held on 27 October in Pasadena, California.
Both the men's and women's championships were held one week before their corresponding 1956 United States Olympic trials. At the men's meet, two world records were equaled (Bobby Morrow in the 100 m heats and Thane Baker in the 200 m on a curve) and one was set outright, by Jack Davis in the 110 m hurdles. In the women's competitions, four American records were broken despite the meets taking place so far before the 1956 Olympics.
Results
Men 100 m Bobby Morrow 10.3 Leamon King 10.45 Thane Baker 10.52 200 m Thane Baker 20.6 Andrew Stanfield 20.63 Theodius Bush 20.93 400 m Thomas Courtney 45.8 m Charles Jenkins Sr. 46.5 Reggie Pearman 46.7 800 m Arnold Sowell 1:47.6 Eugene Maynard 1:48.14 Malvin Whitfield 1:48.18 1500 m Jerome Walters 3:48.4 Fred Dwyer 3:48.8 Joe Villareal 3:49.2 5000 m Richard Hart 14:47.4 Mal Robertson 14:53.4 Gordon McKenzie 14:58.4 10000 m Max Truex 30:52.0 Richard Hart 31:06.3 Gordon McKenzie 31:06.8 Marathon John J. Kelley 2:24:52.2 Dean Thackwray 2:31:14.0 Nick Costes 2:31:52.0 110 m hurdles Lee Calhoun 13.6 Joel Shankle 13.80 Jack Davis 13.84 200 m hurdles Charles Pratt 22.8 400 m hurdles Glenn Davis 50.9 Edward Southern 51.5 Willie Atterberry 51.6 3000 m steeplechase Horace Ashenfelter 9:04.1 William Ashenfelter 9:11.7 Philip Coleman 9:12.7 3000 m walk Henry Laskau 13:39.0 High jump Charles Dumas 2.08 m Bernard Allard 2.04 m none awarded Donald Stewart Ernest Shelton Vernon Wilson Pole vault Bob Richards 4.57 m Donald Bragg 4.43 m none awarded Fred Barnes Long jump Ernest Shelby 7.95 m George Brown 7.75 m Gregory Bell 7.71 m Malachi Andrews Triple jump Willie Hollie 15.09 m 15.02 m none awarded Shot put Kenneth Bantum 18.02 m Parry O'Brien 17.97 m Stan Lampert 17.41 m Discus throw Ron Drummond 54.94 m Fortune Gordien 54.40 m Desmond Koch 53.06 m Hammer throw Hal Connolly 62.75 m Albert Hall 62.32 m John Morefield 59.84 m Javelin throw Cyrus Young 75.58 m Leo Long 72.02 m Benny Garcia 70.80 m Weight throw for distance Bob Backus Pentathlon Howard Smith 3034 pts All-around decathlon Charles Stevenson 7612 pts Decathlon Rafer Johnson 7755 pts Milt Campbell 7559 pts Bob Richards 7054 pts
Women 50 m Isabell Daniels 6.4 Barbara Jones Lucinda Williams 100 m Mae Faggs 11.7 Isabell Daniels 200 m Mae Faggs 24.6 Wilma Rudolph Elaine Ellis 80 m hurdles 11.2 Shirley Eckel Constance Darnowski High jump Mildred McDaniel 1.62 m Ann Flynn none awarded Verneda Thomas Long jump Margaret Matthews 5.89 m Willye White Phyllis Logan Shot put Earlene Brown 13.71 m Lois Ann Testa Discus throw Pamela Kurrell 42.95 m Earlene Brown Javelin throw Karen Anderson 48.49 m Amelia Wershoven Marjorie Larney Baseball throw Pamela Kurrell Women's pentathlon Barbara Mueller 4154 pts 3565 pts Irene Robertson 3507 pts
See also List of USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners (men) List of USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners (women)
References
Results