Claude Bracey, also known as the “Texas Flyer,” was one of America’s fastest sprinters in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He ran for Rice University in Houston.
Texas Flyer brought national attention to the school with his amazing speed. Today, his name is not very well remembered, but his achievements were impressive.
Bracey was born in 1909 in Humble, Texas. At Rice University, he became the first athlete from the school to win NCAA track championships.
In 1928, he won both the 100-yard and 220-yard races with times of 9.6 and 20.9 seconds, making history for Rice.
🥇 June 9, 1928: Sophomore Claude Bracey earns Rice's first NCAA men's outdoor 100 yards and 220 yards titles on the same day in Chicago. 🦉 #GoOwls pic.twitter.com/66t3VeKRuM
— TexasSportsPast (@Texassportspast) June 10, 2023
He also competed in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, finishing fifth in the semifinals of the 100-meter race.
Even though he did not win a medal, he was the first Rice athlete to take part in the Olympics.
The Story About Rice University’s Speed Legend Claude “Texas Flyer” Bracey Is Fading, But His Legacy Must Live On!
In 1929, at the Texas Relays, Bracey ran the 100-yard dash in 9.5 seconds, which would have been a world record, but it was not officially recognized due to wind conditions.
The next day, he ran 9.4 seconds, showing his incredible speed. Football coach Knute Rockne praised him, saying,
“Bracey is a streak. He is as good as any of them off the marks and runs the last 40 yards faster than any man I ever saw. He had the wind with him when he did 9.4 at Dallas but on both that occasion and the day before he beat George Simpson of Ohio State by about four yards. You all know how good Simpson is.”
In 1932, Bracey tied the world record for the 100-meter race with a time of 10.4 seconds, but an appendicitis attack kept him from competing in the Olympic finals.
Sadly, Claude Bracey died in 1940 at the young age of 31. Despite his short life, his contributions to track and field were honored when he was inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970.
After his death, his wife, Anna Bess Singleton Bracey, and daughter, Linda Anne Bracey (Mulpagano), who was 4 months of age at the time of her father’s death, continued his legacy.
In Case You Don’t Know
- In 1970, Bracey became one of the first athletes inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame.
- Bracey passed away at only 31 years old in 1940.
