By Eddie Mitchell

Jim Beatty was the guest speaker at the Carolina Boxing Hall of Fame dinner on Friday April 20th. For those of you not familiar with Jim Beatty, he was the first man ever to run an indoor sub-4-minute mile.

Beatty’s incredible run of 3:58:9 that broke the world indoor mile record, took place on February

10, 1962, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. He beat the old record by 2.5 seconds.

 

Born on October 28, 1934 in New York, Beatty graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1957, his best mile time at UNC was 4:06. He was an All-American over two miles in 1955 and 1957, and for the 5,000 meters in 1956. Beatty was also the Atlantic Coast Conference champion in the one-mile in 1955 and 1956.

His speech at the boxing dinner summed up the man, unassuming, but with a definite edge. An athlete you never give-up, which is something Jim Beatty holds dear to his heart.

After a successful college running career he spent time in the armed forces. On his return to civilian life he decided to give athletics another try, this was two and a half years after leaving UNC. The only running that he did during this time was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, when he was trying to avoid army duties.

Jim moved to Los Angeles in 1960 to train with Coach Mihaly Igloi at the Los Angeles Track Club. In 1962 Jim Beatty broke 11 American and three world records; he won the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete.

Inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1990, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1963, and the Greater Charlotte Hall of Fame in 2004, Jim Beatty had a sparkling running career.

He was named the ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year in 1962. Commentator, with the eloquent voice for the record breaking mile was Jim McKay, who for over 40 years hosted Wide World of Sports. Two great champions combining to give viewers a thrill of a lifetime.