Meet the first native Arkansan to win an Olympic medal

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Although there may not be any native Arkansans competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in France, Arkansas’s Olympic heritage goes as far back as 1908.

Meet James Alcorn Rector, the first Arkansan to win an Olympic medal.

Early life

Born June 22, 1884, in Hot Springs, Rector was the fourth of six children.

His grandfather Henry Massie Rector was an Arkansas governor, and his maternal grandfather James Lusk Alcorn was a Mississippi governor.

After attending schools Hot Springs, Rector enrolled at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey in 1902.

Rector was a versatile athlete, playing offensive end in football, pitching and playing outfield in baseball. In his senior year, he excelled as a pitcher, winning all but two of his games and striking out an average of twelve batters per game, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas .

However, where Rector really shined was on the track. He matched the school record of 10.0 seconds in the 100-yard dash and set a new school record with a time of 22.0 seconds in the 220-yard sprint.

Rector graduated as Lawrenceville School’s valedictorian in 1906.

His nickname, “Indian,” was given by teammates or fans who said he “ran like one,” according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas .

Collegiate career

Rector enrolled at the University of Virginia, where he pursued law and competed in track and field, where he set several school records.

After winning the 100-yard dash at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in 1908 with a time of 9.6 seconds, Rector decided to compete in the Eastern Olympic Trials in Philadelphia.

Rector trained on the University of Pennsylvania track for a week, and eventually won his qualifying heat in the 100 meters with a time of 10.8 seconds to tie the American record.

In the finals, a false start penalty put Rector one meter behind, but he caught the leaders at 80 meters to go and finished in what looked like a three-way tie, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas .

After review, officials awarded him second place, punching Rector’s ticket to the 1908 Olympic Games in London.

Olympic performance

At the 1908 London Olympics, Rector matched the Olympic record of 10.8 seconds in both the qualifying and semifinal heats of the 100 meters.

Before the 100 meters final, a coach asked Rector to teach his athlete, South African sprinter Reggie Walker, how to use the American-style crouch start. Walker had tied the Olympic record in his semifinal.

Rector agreed to teach Walker the crouch start and spent most of the day before the race demonstrating the technique. With starting blocks still years away, Rector showed Walker how to dig holes in the cinder for better leverage.

Walker would go on to take the gold, equaling the world record of 10.8 seconds. Rector earned silver and became the first Arkansan to win an Olympic medal.

Later life

After earning his law degree in 1909, Rector joined the St. Louis firm Taliaferro, Rector and Taliaferro, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas .

He briefly returned to athletics in 1910, aiming for the 1912 Olympics, but did not pursue it further. During World War I, he was assigned to the Secret Service but did not deploy overseas due to the war’s end.

Rector married Viola Mesch and, after retiring in 1943, moved back to Hot Springs to manage the Rector estate trust until his death on March 10, 1950.

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