Editing Harrison Dillard (section)

==Early life and career==
Dillard was born in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], on July 8, 1923,<ref name=IOC>{{cite web |title=Harrison Dillard |url=http://www.olympic.org/harrison-dillard |website=olympic.org |publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]] |access-date=June 6, 2015}}</ref><ref name=sports-reference/> and attended [[East Technical High School]]. He entered [[Baldwin-Wallace College]] in 1941 and joined [[Pi Lambda Phi]] International Fraternity, and two years later was drafted into the [[U.S. Army]], serving in the all-black [[92nd Infantry Division (United States)|92nd Infantry Division]] known as the [[Buffalo Soldier]]s.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/olympics-2012/olympians-harrison-dillard-herb-douglas-recall-life-times-1948-london-summer-games-article-1.1124047 Olympians Harrison Dillard and Herb Douglas recall life, times and the 1948 London Summer games]</ref>

According to a 1962 article written by Trinidadian Olympic sprinter [[Mike Agostini]] for Australia's ''[[The Age]]'' newspaper, Dillard was first inspired as a youngster by [[Charley Paddock]], who Agostini says visited Dillard at his high school and encouraged him to follow his dream of becoming an Olympic champion like himself.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Age - Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DjpVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RpUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4184,3549286 |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=news.google.com}}</ref>

Dillard returned to college in 1946, and resumed athletics, inspired by [[Jesse Owens]], who, like him, was from Cleveland and had attended East Technical High School. He won the NCAA and AAU 120-yard and 220-yard hurdles in both 1946 and 1947, tying world records in both events with a 22.3 in the 220 in 1946 and a 13.6 in the 120. Between June 1947 and June 1948, he remained unbeaten in 82 consecutive finals, a record until broken by [[Edwin Moses|Ed Moses]].