James Winfield “Skinny” Whipple (1915–1937)
March 06, 2026
Win Whipple, a 1933 graduate of Arkadelphia High School, was one of the most gifted athletes ever to emerge from Clark County. Growing up steps from the campus of what was then Ouachita College, he often practiced his running and jumping along the banks of the Ouachita River, preparing for a future that would inspire generations.
Known as “Skinny” for his slim frame, Win was a track and field wonder. By age 14, he was leaping over 22 feet in the broad jump – also known as the long jump.
In a letter to Win’s mother from 1937, his coach, H.W. McMillan, wrote about a particular moment during a meet: “I walked down to the track with Fred and Doc and Brownie and Skinny. Doc took the baton out of my hand and said, ‘Well, I’ll bring it in first for my lap,’ and each one of them told me the same thing. After they had won the race, Skinny walked back across the field, looking for me, and handed me the baton and said, ‘Here it is.’ There was a smile on his face and seemingly, it had been no effort at all; but I knew that he and the other three had put everything they had into that race for me.”
He set a state record in 1933 that stood for over 50 years. In a legendary moment that year known as “The Jump,” Win landed beyond the pit and was officially credited with the length of the pit at 24 feet, though witnesses said he jumped at least 24 feet, 6 inches.
Stories about Whipple appeared regularly in Arkadelphia's Daily Siftings Herald. The center photo is from the Clark County Historical Journal article on Whipple that was published in 1994.
Later that summer, with little money due to the Depression, the community raised money
for Win to travel to the National Interscholastic Track & Field Championships in Chicago.
He and teammates hitchhiked to the meet, where he competed against Jesse Owens.
Though he never exceeded Jesse Owens’ world record at the 1936 Olympics, many who knew Win believed that had he continued to improve at the same pace, he might have earned his place among the world’s elite.
Marked by humility, gentleness and unwavering dedication, coaches and the community remembered him as a young man who put others first, gave his all and never sought the spotlight. He later competed at Louisiana State University from 1933 to 1935 before cancer tragically cut his track career short.
In the summer of 1936, recovering from surgery in his Arkadelphia home, Win listened on the radio to the Berlin Olympics as Owens — whom he’d once nearly matched — captured gold and defied expectations on the world stage. Though far from the track, he remained a witness to history, as the world celebrated the sport he had once dominated.
His beloved coach, McMillan, wrote to Win’s mother just days after his passing in 1937, “He lived his whole life … putting everything that he had into life and never once thinking of himself.”
In his brief years, Win achieved what many do not in a lifetime.
Today, the Win Whipple Invitational high school track meet carries forward that legacy in the hometown that loved him. A plaque on the Ouachita Baptist University site pays tribute to him. It was made possible through the kindness of Ross and Mary Whipple.
Their devotion to family and commitment to honoring Win’s remarkable story ensures that his name, and the values he lived by, will continue to inspire generations of athletes in the place where he once ran and jumped and called home.
Read more about Whipple at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas and at the Arkansas Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Lead photo: The 1932 Arkadelphia High School track team. Whipple is seated on the front row, fourth from the left.
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