Eleanor Egg

Before Eleanor Egg was 1931’s “World’s Fastest Woman,” she was a young Paterson legend.  Born into a Vaudeville family known as “The Spaldings,” she began performing as a child acrobat before emerging as a standout track and field athlete. Competing through the Paterson Girls’ Recreation Program, Egg set and broke numerous records in the 1920s, excelling in the broad jump, sprints, relay events, and shot put. 

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Egg was poised to compete in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics but was sidelined by a foot injury. Undeterred, she returned to competition within six months and quickly regained top form. In 1931, she cemented her legacy by breaking the world record in the 100-yard dash, earning recognition as the “World’s Fastest Woman.” She retired from athletics in 1932, shifting her focus to community work during the Great Depression.

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Drawing on her Vaudeville background, Egg later became a dance instructor, studio owner, and costume designer for local theater productions in Paterson. She remained an active figure in the community for decades. Egg passed away on October 27, 1999, at age 90. Her achievements were commemorated in part by a bronze bas-relief plaque by sculptor Gaetano Federici at Hinchliffe Stadium.