Fred Bonine Frederick N . Bonine ( October 21 , 1863 – August 22 , 1941 ) was an American sprinter and eye doctor . He held the world ' s record in the 110 - yard dash for 35 years from 1886 until 1921 . He later became an internationally - known eye doctor who saw over one million patients at his office in Niles , Michigan . Early years and athlete . Bonine was born in Niles , Michigan in 1863 . His father , Evan J . Bonine , was a physician with a practice in Niles . Bonine attended the Niles public schools before studying at Freiburg , Germany . He then enrolled at the University of Michigan where he was a member of the football and track teams . In 1886 , Bonine set a world ' s record with a time of 10 . 8 seconds in the 110 - yard dash . The record stood for 35 years until it was broken in 1921 by Charley Paddock . That same year , Bonine was the captain of the Michigan track team that became the first athletic team from the west to compete in New York . Medical practice . Bonine later became a nationally known eye doctor . Each year , tens of thousands of patients from around the world reportedly sought treatment at Bonine ' s office above a corner drug store in Niles , Michigan . Bonine regularly treated as many as 517 patients in one day and regularly saw 200 patients in a day . Hundreds lined up each day , none with appointments , to see him , with each being charged the same fee of two dollars for a first visit and one dollar for subsequent visits . Special buses from Chicago to Niles ran twice a week to bring patients to see Bonine . Several restaurants , gift shops , and hotels in Niles reportedly " owed their existence to the patronage drawn to this small city by his fame . " One newspaper wrote : " So numerous were the patients who filled his office each day , that brutally long hours were required to care for them . He never spared himself , frequently remaining until 10 o ' clock or even midnight to finish . An indefatigable worker , he had the assistance of only a small office force . It was said of him that he rivalled Napoleon Bonaparte and Thomas A . Edison for going without sleep . . . . A time - worn , old - fashioned suite of office in Niles was a crossroads for that vast army of unfortunates with afflicted eye - sight who came from the four corners of the earth seeking the professional assistance of Dr . Fred N . Bonine . " He was reported to have seen 1 , 500 , 000 patients in nearly 50 years of practice . Sports medicine and boxing commissioner . In 1912 , he served as a medical advisor to the United States team at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm , Sweden . Bonine was also a member of the Michigan State Athletic Board of Control and the Michigan Boxing Commission . He became a close friend of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey after reportedly saving Dempsey ' s eyesight at the height of the boxer ' s career . In 1925 , at Bonine ' s office in Niles , Michigan , Dempsey and African - American champion Harry Wills signed papers agreeing to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world . ( The fight never took place . ) Community service and later years . Bonine also served nine years as the mayor of Niles , Michigan . He was married to Viva Thomas and a member of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Niles . He was a 33rd degree Mason and was honored at a Masonic dinner in November 1934 on the occasion of his 50th year in the Masons . Bonine became ill with pneumonia in the spring of 1938 . He suffered a stroke in June 1938 from which he recovered in part , but he was unable to return to his medical practice . Bonine died at his home in Niles in August 1941 at age 77 . Stores and factories in Niles closed for Bonine ' s funeral , which was held at the Trinity Episcopal Church .