 While he attempted to minimize the margins by which he cleared the hurdles, he very rarely knocked any hurdles over, and at the time, only runs with no hurdles toppled could be officially ratified as records.Simpson's first major race in the 120 yd hurdles was at the April 1915 Penn Relays.Still little-known outside his native Missouri, Simpson faced a strong field that included Fred W. Kelly, the 1912 Olympic champion and world record holder at 15.0.