Scipio Africanus "Sam" Mussabini (6 August 1867 – 12 March 1927)[1] was an English athletics coach best known for his work with Harold Abrahams.
[8] Mussabini played billiards to a high standard and reported on matches as a sports journalist during the winter months.
[8] At the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium, he coached Albert Hill to two gold medals in the 800 m and 1500 m, and Harry Edward, third in the 100 m. He led Harold Abrahams to win a gold medal in the 100 m and silver in the 4 × 100 m at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
[8][10] In 1998, the Mussabini Medal was created, to celebrate the contribution of coaches of UK performers who have achieved outstanding success on the world stage.
[10] English Heritage installed a blue plaque at 84 Burbage Road, Herne Hill, on 11 July 2012.
[11] The plaque was unveiled by Lord Terence Higgins, who competed in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, and Ben Cross, who played Abrahams in the film Chariots of Fire.
This collection includes material related to Neocles Mussabini's journalistic career at the Pall Mall Gazette, during the era that its editor W. T. Stead was involved with the Eliza Armstrong scandal.