Fitzgerald Hurdled Into The Record Books

When defending 100-meter hurdles champion Benita Fitzgerald of Tennessee was entered individually in only the 100-meter hurdles at the 1983 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, it meant something was not right.

Indeed, there was cause for concern as Fitzgerald – third in a loaded NCAA 100 meters the year before – had recently strained a hamstring.

“The week before the NCAA she couldn’t get out of the blocks without hurting,” explained Tennessee head coach Terry Crawford, a USTFCCCA Hall of Famer. “Getting through the meet safely was as much an objective as performing well.”

Fitzgerald wore a wrap in the hurdle prelims and both rounds of the 4×100 – including the relay final, held some three hours before the hurdles final (Tennessee set a school record 43.84 for third in the 4×1).

But there was no wrap for Fitzgerald in her final race in a Lady Vol uniform. Instead, Fitzgerald ran unencumbered into the record books with a collegiate record of 12.84 and held off Kim Turner of UTEP (12.95) in a race that featured two sub-13 collegians for the first time.

The CR also bettered the respected all-dates collegiate best set in 1979 by Deby LaPlante of San Diego State at 12.86, a time Fitzgerald had challenged in April with her 12.87 at the Dogwood Relays.

“I really wanted that record, and I feel great to have gotten it,” said Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald and Turner were even more impressive in 1984: Turner winning the NCAA and then the Olympic Trials in what is still remembered as one of the closest finishes in any event (Both Turner and Fitzgerald were given identical 13.13 times as third and fourth places were inches behind at 13.14).

Six weeks later, Fitzgerald was back on top, winning the Los Angeles Olympics to become the first Black women’s Olympic gold medalist in the hurdles. In 1996 Fitzgerald was one of eight U.S. Olympians selected to carry the Olympic flag in the opening ceremony of Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Games.