The IAAF is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Wes Santee, a former Olympian and World record holder.

Santee, who competed in the 5000m at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and was most known for his prowess in the Mile and 1500m, died Sunday (14) of cancer at his home in Eureka, Kansas, USA. He was 78.

Santee was one of a handful of competitors considered to be a serious threat to break the four-minute Mile barrier before Roger Bannister did it in 1954. Santee set the World record in the 1500m on 4 June 1956, when he was timed in 3:42.8 seconds at the Compton Invitational.  He also set the indoor Mile World record twice (4:04.9-1954 & 4:03.8-1955), and the indoor 1500m World record once in 1955 (3:48.3). 

Known for his versatility as a collegiate star at the University of Kansas, on 10 April 1954, Santee had an amazing three-race performance against the University of California at Berkeley, where he won the 880y in 1:51.5, the mile in 4:05.5 and ran a 440 relay leg in 48-flat. 

As a Jayhawk, Santee won the NCAA outdoor Mile title in 1953, the NCAA 5000m crown in 1952, and the NCAA cross country title in 1953. The national indoor Mile champion in 1955, Santee captured USA Outdoor 1500m/Mile crowns in 1952, 1953 and 1955. 

Santee, who was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2005, joined the Marine Corps after leaving Kansas.  He later moved back to Kansas and worked in the insurance business, while remaining active in the Marine Corps Reserves.  He later retired as a colonel from the Marines and became the national president of the Marine Officers Association. He retired from the insurance business in the early 1990s.  

Santee is immortalized in statue form, along with other KU track stars Glenn Cunningham and Jim Ryun, at The Legends in Kansas City, Kan., and Rim Rock Farm, home of the Jayhawk cross country team.  He is survived by his wife of eight years, Doris; daughter, Susie; his two sons, Edward and Bob; his sister, Ina May Walsh; and seven grandchildren.

USATF for the IAAF