Horatio Fitch, Track & Field • 1922-23

Horatio Fitch was the 1924 Olympic Silver medalist in the 400-meters after setting the world record of 47.8 seconds during the semifinal heat at the Paris Olympics. His race in the Olympics was memorialized in the 1982 movie “Chariots of Fire” when the race winner was Eric Liddell, who passed up the 100-meter dash, his specialty, because it was held on Sunday. The British winner of the gold broke Fitch’s world record in the finals. Fitch helped the Illini to the 1922 Big Ten indoor and outdoor titles. He won the 1923 AAU 440-yard national championship. Fitch helped the Illinois quarter-mile relay team set an American record at the 1923 Drake Relays and helped his mile relay team win a Big Ten title at the 1923 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Fitch finished fourth in the 440-yard dash at the 1923 NCAA Outdoor Championships.  He died in 1985 at the age of 85.