Frederick Collamore "Fred" Puffer (c. 1871 – July 22, 1900) was an American track and field athlete.
[3] His first major successes came at the 1892 national (AAU) championships, where he ran for the Manhattan Athletic Club; he won both the 120 yd high hurdles and the 220 yd low hurdles and helped his club win the team title.
[5][6] The 1893 AAU championships were held in conjunction with the World's Fair in Chicago, and the New York Times promoted the occasion with a special medal to be awarded to the best athlete of the meeting; the medal's value exceeded the allowable limit in amateur competition, and had to receive a special exemption from the Amateur Athletic Union.
[7][8] At the championships, Puffer repeated his hurdles double from the previous year, but sprinter Charles Stage also won two events; the judges were unable to decide which of them deserved the medal, and after both Puffer and Stage refused to draw lots for it, the matter was referred to the AAU to be decided later.
[6][12] In the following years Puffer became an athletic instructor and competed only at the games of the 22nd Regiment, which he belonged to;[3][13] in 1897, he and Eugene Goff were declared professionals and ineligible for amateur competition on the grounds that as instructors they received money from sports.