Edward O'Brien

Champion long distance runner Edward Thomas "Eddie" O'Brien was born on September 12, 1914 in Somers Point, New Jersey. O'Brien represented the United States at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he ran the third leg in the men's 4x400m relay as a member of the team that won the silver medal. Edward's other notable athletic achievements include clocking in at 47.3 in the 440y at the Princeton Invitational in 1935, winning the Amateur Athletic Union outdoor 440y that same year, setting a world record in the 600m in winning the AAU title in 1936, winning the IC4A indoor 600 in both 1936 and 1937, and setting a world record of 57.8 when he won the Buremeyer 500 in 1936 (Edward beat his own record the following year by clocking in at 57.6 at the same event). Moreover, O'Brien won the AAU again in 1937 and lost only one race during the indoor season. Edward graduated from Syracuse University in 1937 and married his wife Florence Quintin that same year. After enlisting in the United States Navy in December, 1941, O'Brien served on a destroyer in the South Pacific. Edward died at age 62 from colon cancer on September 15, 1976 in Essex Falls, New Jersey.