High School Accomplishments:

• 2 Sport standout

Post High School Accomplishments:

• Rankin came to Purdue from Warsaw, Ind., and lettered in football (1938, 1939 and 1940) and track and field (1940 and 1941)
• He was a two-time football All-American and captain and team Most Valuable Player as a senior
• He set the U.S. record in the indoor 60-yard low hurdles in 1940.
• Rankin was inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998 and also is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame (1977) and the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame (1995).
• He was given the Sports Illustrated Silver Anniversary Football All-American Award in 1965
• Rankin Track and Field at Purdue was named in his honor in 1993.

Family Information:

• He is survived by his wife, Ann; son, Tom; and daughter, Randee.

Career Information:

• A fighter pilot in the Marine Corps, Rankin earned four air medals and was given honorable discharge in 1946
• Rankin was an assistant football coach for the Boilermakers in 1947 and 1948 and served as head track and field coach from 1946 to 1981.
• He coached 22 All-Americans and was head coach of the U.S. track team for the 1975 World University Games in Rome.