The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1921-10-08
EARL JOHNSON, LATEST COLOR
ED PHENOM OF TRACK, HOLDS
ALL RECORDS TO % MILES.
By F. P. ALGER

I'm Pittsburgh Sunday Post.)
Following in the wake of John
Taylor and Howard Drew, possibly
two of the fastest Colored lads who
ever drew spikes on a cinder path,
there comes another athlete who is
burning up distances in recent races.
This is none otner than Robert Earl
Johnson, local lad, who has been
running some remarkable distance
races since wearing the colors of the
Edgar Thompson Steel athletic club
of Braddock last April Earl, as he
Is known to local speed followers,
has earned his niche in the hall Of
fame with other notable Colored
athletes, by his great work this
summer and in his IL races this
year he has gone through unbeaten,
although competing against the best
middle distance runners the country
can boast Of Johnson is the first
Colored lad in distance races who
has gained any real recognition but
his stellar work on the roads this
summer has stamped the word
Glass" all over him. His best work
has been in races against the great
est runners in this country.
John Taylor, the old University
of Pennsylvania star, was a sure
winner in the quarter and half
mile events but anything over this
distance he could not compete with
any degree of success. Howard Drew,
joint holder of the century mark,
and one of the greatest sprinters the
country ever saw was good only
for dashes.
1 But Earl comes forth as one of
the greatest runners of all time
for he has won races this summer
ranging from quarter-mile to
% IL miles and in each instance
he was a winner by big margin.
Previous to this summer Johnson
, was known principally because he
made berth on the Olympic team
at Antwerp last summer. But his
greatest work has come to him since
joining the athletic squad of the
Edgar Thomsons at Braddock. With
due encouragement he has stepped
out and pulled performances that
are remarkable and that belle the
fact that Colored athletes cannot
stand the strain of long distance
running.
Contrary to belief, Earl did not
start his running in Pittsburgh, but
was a fairly good runner when he
came here, back in the early part
of 1919. His first success as an
athlete came when he was a mem
Der of the Morgan College team oil
Baltimore, where he started and won
his first five-mile race against a
good field. His first crack at shor-
ter distance came in meet at How
ard University at Washington, where
he won the one-mile event in the
fast time of 4:41 and came back
on the same afternoon and took the
two-mile in 1000, setting a rec
ord for that part of the country.
Since coming to Pittsburgh he has
lost but two races. one to Red
Weigel at A. NJ. A. championship in
q three-mile affair, johnson has
competed and won the one-mile
event previous to this event. His
second defeat occurred at Boston,
last year when he was training in
! the final for Olympic place honors.
Fred Fuller beat him by inches in
the 10000 metres trial. Earl had
scored a victory over Fuller at Phil
adelphia several weeks previous, AT
the Olympic games Johnson was for
ced to withdraw after going along
in second place for the greater part
of the distance. His trouble is said