‘Chariots of Fire’ Olympian Scholz Dies; Never Saw Movie

Jackson Scholz, the Olympic runner portrayed in the Academy Award-winning movie “Chariots of Fire,” died at his home at 89, never having seen the movie.

His death Sunday, which was announced today, came after a long illness. He will be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.

Scholz won a gold medal for the United States in the 200-meter dash in the 1924 Olympics in Paris but lost to Harold Abrahams of England in the 100 meters.

In the 1983 movie, Scholz handed a note to another runner, wishing him good luck. Scholz said that incident never took place.

“Jack never looked at (the movie) because they mispronounced his name throughout the whole movie,” said Harry Rahner, Scholz’s brother-in-law. “Also in the movie, he supposedly hands a guy his note. He never met the guy. He said he didn’t write any note.”

The movie did get Scholz a role in an American Express commercial, which Rahner said netted him a small fee and two boxes of cigars.

Scholz ran in the Olympic Games in 1924 and 1928 and was in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. At one time, he was considered the fastest man in the world.

Scholz had a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and wrote sports books for children. Rahner said he completed 31 books in 31 years.