Carl McBain (1989) - Hall of Fame

Carl McBain

Induction:
1989

Carl McBain was a star hurdler and captain of the 1940 UCLA track team that included Jackie Robinson (the future major leaguer) and Tom Bradley (the future mayor of Los Angeles). That same year, he won the National AAU 400 meter hurdles title, setting an American record of 51.6. This record stood for 10 years. He was voted by a sportswriter's poll as most likely to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the 400 meter hurdles, but the event was cancelled by World War II. After serving as a Navy officer in World War II, he served as Administrator of Medical Research for five years on the UCLA Atomic Energy Commission. He later founded his own company, McBain Instruments. He endowed a football and track scholarship to UCLA, and his wife endowed a women's golf and women's basketball scholarship.