National High School Records Through the Years

Boys Indoor Record – 50-yard dash

Everett Jessup (Boys High, Brooklyn, New York)

Performance  – 5 and 3/5 seconds

Date – December 26, 1903

Place – Madison Square Garden

Meet – PSAL Indoor Championships

Previous Record - 5 4/5 by four sprinters

Jessup was the first sprint champion in the long, historic history of New York City public schools, winning the 50 122 years ago this week at Madison Square Garden in the inaugural Public Schools Athletic League championships. The behemoth organization, representing all of the public schools in the nation’s largest city, was founded earlier in 1903. That spring Jessup equaled the national high school record for 100 yards, running 10 flat, and later that summer of 1904 he traveled to St. Louis to run in the high school division of the Summer Olympic Games, where he prevailed in the 50, 100 and 220. The 1903 Garden was the second version of the famous building, the first having been torn down in 1890. This one, which lasted until 1925, was located at 26th Street and Madison Avenue. 

National High School Records Through the Years appears once a week, compiled and written by a track historian, Jack Pfeifer (Lake Oswego, Oregon). Inquiries may be directed to him by email (jack.pfeifer@gmail.com).     

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