Beatty moved to Charlotte, North Carolina with his family when he was four years old. He grew up in the Dilworth neighborhood, delivering for the Charlotte Observer with his trusted dog "Trigger" for five years. Then focused on boxing, young Beatty would run his paper route to help him train. While at Central High School, the last meet of his junior year Beatty convinced his coach to let him run the mile event. His speed was discovered in that race, as he went on to win. In the course of a month, he went from never running in a race before, to winning a state championship in the mile. Beatty went on to run track at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he majored in English and had a minor in History.[2]
Graduating from UNC in 1957, Beattys best time in the mile was 4:06. He was an All-American for the two miles in 1955 and 1957, and for the 5,000 meters in 1956. Beatty was also the Atlantic Coast Conference champion in the mile in 1955 and 1956.
In 1960, Beatty moved to California to train under Mihály Iglói and in July of 1960, he won the U.S. Olympic Trials at 5,000. After running at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games he joined the Los Angeles Track Club in 1961. Beatty broke eleven American and three world records in 1962, and became the first American to simultaneously hold records in the 1,500 meter, 3,000 meter, 5,000 meter, one and three mile events. Because of his outstanding performance he was named the 1962 James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. He was also the first recipient of the ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year that year. Beatty married his wife, Paulette in 1976. Beatty served in the North Carolina General Assembly as a State Representative as a Democrat, representing North Carolina's 104th district, in Mecklenburg County. He worked on voting rights bills and expanding medicare, before running for U.S. Congress in 1972,eventually losing on election day to former Republican Governor of N.C. James G. Martin.
vteUS National Championship winners in men's 1500-meter run or mile
1876–78New York Athletic Club
1876M: Harold Lambe (CAN) * Cornelius Vought
1877M: Richard Morgan
1878M: Thomas Smith
1879–88NAAAA
1879M: Henry Pellatt (CAN) * William Duffy
1880–83M: Harry Fredericks
1884M: Percy Madeira
1885M: George Gilbert
1886–87M: Edward Carter
1888MNote 1: Thomas Conneff
1888–1979Amateur Athletic Union
1888MNote 1: G.M. Gibbs (CAN) * Thomas Conneff
1889–90M: Albert George
1891M: Thomas Conneff
1892M: George Orton (CAN) * Ernest Hjertberg
1893-5M: George Orton (CAN) * A.J. Walsh
1896M: George Orton (CAN) * Mortimer Remington
1897–98M: John Cregan
1899M: Alex Grant
1900M: George Orton (CAN) *Alex Grant
1901–03M: Alex Grant
1904M: David Munson
1905M: Jim Lightbody
1906M: Albert Rodgers
1907M: James Sullivan
1908M: Herbert Trube
1909M: Joe Ballard
1910M: Joe Monument
1911–12M: Abel Kiviat
1913M: Norman Taber
1914M: Abel Kiviat
1915M: Joie Ray
1916M: Ivan Meyers
1917–23MOT: Joie Ray
1924–25M: Ray Buker
1926M: Lloyd Hahn
1927M-28OT: Ray Conger
1929M: Leo Lermond
1930M: Ray Conger
1931M: Leo Lermond
1932OT: Norwood Hallowell
1933: Glenn Cunningham
1934: Bill Bonthron
1935–38: Glenn Cunningham
1939: Blaine Rideout
1940: Walter Mehl
1941: Leslie MacMitchell
1942–43: Gil Dodds
1944: William Hulse
1945: Roland Sink
1946: Lennart Strand (SWE) * Leslie MacMitchell
1947: Gerry Karver
1948: Gil Dodds
1949–50: John Twomey
1951: Len Truex
1952–53M: Wes Santee
1954M: Fred Dwyer
1955M: Wes Santee
1956: Jerome Walters
1957M: Merv Lincoln (AUS) * Bob Seaman
1958M: Herb Elliott (AUS) * Ed Moran
1959: Dyrol Burleson
1960: Jim Grelle
1961M: Dyrol Burleson
1962M: Jim Beatty
1963M: Dyrol Burleson
1964: Tom O'Hara
1965–67M: Jim Ryun
1968: John Mason
1969M: Marty Liquori
1970M: Howell Michael
1971M: Marty Liquori
1972: Jerome Howe
1973M: Leonard Hilton
1974: Rod Dixon (NZL) * Tom Byers
1975: Leonard Hilton
1976: Eamonn Coghlan (IRL) *Michael Manke
1977–79: Steve Scott
1980–92The Athletics Congress
1980: Steve Lacy
1981: Sydney Maree (SAF) * Steve Scott
1982–83: Steve Scott
1984–85: Jim Spivey
1986: Steve Scott
1987: Jim Spivey
1988: Mark Deady
1989: Terrance Herrington
1990: Joe Falcon
1991: Terrance Herrington
1992OT: Jim Spivey
1993: Bill Burke
1994: Terrance Herrington
1995–96OT: Paul McMullen
1997: Seneca Lassiter
1998: Jamey Harris
1999: Steve Holman
2000OT: Gabe Jennings
2001: Andy Downin
2002: Seneca Lassiter
2003: Jason Lunn
2004–05: Alan Webb
2006: Bernard Lagat
2007: Alan Webb
2008: Bernard Lagat
2009–10: Lopez Lomong
2011: Matthew Centrowitz
2012: Leonel Manzano
2013: Matthew Centrowitz
2014: Leonel Manzano
2015–16: Matthew Centrowitz
2017: Robby Andrews
2018: Matthew Centrowitz
2019: Craig Engels
Notes
Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996 & 2000 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
"M": Where this follows the year it denotes that the race was run over a mile rather than 1500 m
vteUS National Championship winners in men's indoor Mile
1932–1979Amateur Athletic Union
1932–3: Gene Venzke
1934–5: Glenn Cunningham
1936: Gene Venzke
1937: Archie San Romani
1938–9: Glenn Cunningham
1940: Chuck Fenske
1941: Walter Mehl
1942: Gil Dodds
1943: Frank Dixon
1944: Gil Dodds
1945: Jim Rafferty
1946: Les McMitchell
1947: Gil Dodds
1948: Tom Quinn
1949: Willem Slijkhuis (NED) * (3) Neil Pratt
1950: John Joe Barry (IRL) * (2) Horace Ashenfelter
1951: Fred Wilt
1952: Bill Mack
1953: Fred Dwyer
1954: Josy Barthel (LUX) * (2) Fred Wilt
1955: Wes Santee
1956–9: Ron Delany (IRL)
1960: Phil Coleman
1961: Jim Beatty
1962–3: Jim Beatty
1964: Ergas Leps (CAN) * (2) Vic Zwolak
1965–6: Jim Grelle
1967: Sam Bair
1968: Preston Davis
1969: Henryk Szordykowski (POL) * (2) Marty Liquori
1970: Marty Liquori
1971: Henryk Szordykowski (POL) * (2) John Mason
1972: Byron Dyce (JAM)
1973: Marty Liquori
1974: John Walker (NZL) * (2) Mike Slack
1975–6: Filbert Bayi (TAN) * (2) Paul Cummings
1977: Filbert Bayi (TAN) * (3) Joe Dubina
1978: Eamonn Coghlan (IRL)
1979: Steve Scott
1981–1992The Athletics Congress
1980: Craig Masback
1981: Steve Scott
1982: Jim Spivey
1983: Eamonn Coghlan (IRL)
1984: Steve Scott
1985: Sydney Maree
1986: Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)
1987: Eamonn Coghlan (IRL)
1988: Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)
1989: Frank O'Mara (IRL)
1990: Steve Scott
1990: Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)
1991: Noureddine Morceli (ALG) * (2) Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)
1992: Noureddine Morceli (ALG) * (4) Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)
1993: Noureddine Morceli (ALG) * (2) Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)
1994: William Tanui (KEN) * (2) Marcus O'Sullivan (IRL)
1995: Niall Bruton (IRL) * (3) Erik Nedeau
1996: Steve Holman
1997: Jason Pyrah
1998: Paul McMullen
1999: Matt Holthaus
2000: Jason Pyrah
2001: Seneca Lassiter
2002–3: Jason Lunn
2004: Rob Myers
2005: Scott McGowan
2006: Christopher Lukezic
2007: Alan Webb
2008–9: Rob Myers
2010: Leo Manzano
2011: Jeff See
2012: Leo Manzano
2013: Will Leer
2014: Lopez Lomong
2015–6: Matthew Centrowitz
2017: Ben Blankenship
2018: Paul Chelimo
Notes
*Distances have varied as follows: Mile (1940–2002) and 1932, 2007 and odd numbered years since 2011, 1500 meters (1933–1939), (2003–6, 2008–2010) and even numbered years since 2010