Rodney Milburn elevated hurdling beyond collegiate competition, and that started in his sophomore year at Southern in 1971, which he finished as the World Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News.
The newly minted hurdling celebrity continued his success in 1972, culminating with Olympic gold in a world record 13.24 – just one of his six ratified world records he set as a collegian. His undefeated collegiate career finished dominantly in 1973 with three of those WRs. He never lost an NCAA or NAIA championships hurdles race – indoors or outdoors, winning 12 of 12 times.