H. Ross Hume

Male, Deceased Person

1922 – 2000

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Who was H. Ross Hume?

Henry Ross Hume was a three-time NCAA champion distance runner who was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1990. He and his twin brother, Robert H. Hume, became famous in 1944 and 1945 as the “dead heat twins” due to their practice of finishing their races hand-in-hand in an intentional effort to finish each race tied for the win. During the 1944 track season, the Hume twins tied for the win in nine straight mile races, including the Big Ten Conference and NCAA championships. They were co-winners in every mile event they entered in 1944 except one. The exception occurred at a dual meet in which "a meticulous official ruled that one of the Humes beat the other across the finish line by a couple of inches although they were hand in hand at the wire." Their best time in a “dead heat” mile with hands clasped was 4:14.6 at the Central Collegiate Conference meet in 1944; the time broke a school record of 4:16.4 that had been set by H.L. Carroll 28 years earlier in 1916.

The Hume twins were raised in Canonsburg, a small town in Pennsylvania’s soft coal region, not far from Pittsburgh. Robert Hume set the school record for the mile, and Ross set the record in the half mile. After graduating from Canonsburg High School, the Hume twins enrolled at the University of Michigan to run track under Coach Ken Doherty. One sports columnist in 1945 noted that the Humes were “twins in every possible manner, facial resemblance, running style, the clothes they wear, and the courses they are taking.”

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Born
Sep 18, 1922
Canonsburg
Education
  • University of Michigan
Died
2000
Harbor Springs

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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