With no Angelenos named Nurmi at the time of this street’s christening, c. 1925, I assume some developer or civil engineer was a fan of Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973), the Finnish middle-distance runner. (In this context, nearby Paddock Street is likely named for fellow fleet-foot Charley Paddock.) Few people outside of Finland know his name now, but Nurmi was an international superstar in the 1920s, breaking 22 world records and winning nine Olympic gold medals. In 1925, boxing promoter Tex Rickard – the Don King of his day – said the three greatest attractions in sports were Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, and Paavo Nurmi: that’s how big Nurmi was. Yet he was forced to maintain his amateur status, earning essentially nothing during his athletic career. When he was accused (probably falsely) of accepting money to race in 1931, he was barred from competing at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. Nurmi only finally made it rich after he hung up his cleats and founded a construction business in Helsinki.
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