Oct. 14, 2004
ARMONK, NY – Former University of Iowa runner and Olympic gold medalist George Baird has died at the age of 97. He died at his daughter’s Hudson Valley home in Rhinebeck, NY.
Thought by many to be the oldest living gold medalist, Baird ran on the 1,600-meter relay at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The team’s time of 3:14.2 stood as the world record until the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Baird was a six-time Big Ten champion at Iowa, winning two individual 440-yard titles and running on four champion mile relays. The Mason City, IA, native was a letterwinner on the Hawkeye track squad from 1927-29. He was inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1994.