Gym Talk: The Dean of Coaches
Harry Livingston Hillman, the dean of all Dartmouth coaches, is now in the process of rounding out twenty-five years as director of Big Green track teams. During the quarter of a century in which he has been connected with the College, he has become one of the outstanding figures in American track, and many a star sprinter and hurdler has developed under his tutelage.
Coach Hillman a title used primarily in the headlines of The Dartmouth was appointed track coach on January 1, 1910, and went right to work on his first Green team. Before coming to Dartmouth, Harry was in the banking and brokerage business until the panic of 1907-08, and for two years after that was in the wholesale jewelry trade.
Business activities did not hinder his participation in track, a sport with which he became acquainted at Brooklyn High School, and as a member of the New York Athletic Club he ran away with 37 different championships and competed with three American Olympic teams at St. Louis in 1904, Athens in 1906, and London in 1908. Harry starred in the hurdles and dashes, and at St. Louis in 1904 he set three world records in the 400-meter run, the 200-meter hurdles, and the 400-meter hurdles.
Harry still holds the two hurdle records he made in 1904. The 200-meter event has been dropped from Olympic competition, and since hurdles have been raised in height from 21/2 feet to 3 feet, no one has been able to reach his 400-meter mark. With Lawson Robertson, track coach at Pennsylvania, he still holds one of the queerest records in the books: that of 11. seconds for the three-legged 100-yard dash. Harry remembers some nasty spills from his three-legged races, but confesses that he usually managed to fall on Robertson.
The other records which Harry Hillman smashed are too numerous to list. Most of them were in the hurdles, the others in the 220-, 440-, and 600-yard dashes. After winning the national 440-yard championship in 1908, he retired from major competition, and two years later E. K. Hall brought him to Dartmouth as track coach. In addition to handling the Green track and field men since 1910, Harry has been assistant coach of the American Olympic team in 1924, 1928, and 1932.
Harry's track teams met with immediate success, and eventually Dartmouth was petitioned to withdraw from the New England intercollegiate championships and give the other members a chance. During his second season he tutored his first world's record holder. He was Marc S. Wright '13, the first man to better 13 feet in the pole vault, who cleared 13 feet inches. After that Harry coached such other stars as Earl Thomson '20, famous hurdler; Leroy Brown '23, champion high-jumper; and Monty Wells '28, who set several hurdling marks. Steve Woodbury, Dart- mouth's present crack high-jumper, is proof that Harry is still turning them out.
In addition to coaching track, Harry has been trainer of Dartmouth football teams for over 15 years. Squash and golf now keep him in trim, and the day is a huge success if he can frighten Harvey Cohn by shooting his starting gun behind him.
Some Years Ago The Green track coach back in the days when ....
Harry Hillman Who is celebrating this spring his 25th year as coach of Dartmouth track.
