“Bullet Bob” Hayes Wins Lone Shot At NCAAs
Bob Hayes might have only appeared once at the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, but he certainly made that opportunity count 56 years ago.
Hayes, who competed for Florida A&M, toed the starting line of the 200 meters alongside seven men who had grandeur visions of taking down the World’s Fastest Man. That’s not a typo: Hayes was the only man in world history to that point to run 100 yards in 9.1 (He actually did so four times, with one mark ratified as the world record).
Fast running began in the semifinals with 20.3 wins from both Hayes and Edwin Roberts from North Carolina Central, who edged 1962 winner Harry Jerome from host Oregon. The times were wind-aided but second only under any conditions to the world record (20.2).
Hayes took immediate control of the final, running “the curve faster, probably, than it has ever been run as he went all out to open a 3-yard lead,” wrote Cordner Nelson, co-founder of Track & Field News. Despite the lead, Hayes nearly got caught as Roberts closed exceptionally well.
Hayes and Roberts were both credited with finishing times of 20.4w, but the former earned the victory by a whisker. It was the fifth time in the past six years that the final was too close to call.
“I made a mistake,” Hayes explained afterwards. “I lost two tenths looking at the wrong line. I dove at the tape and actually it wasn’t even a tape.”
Later that year, Hayes won a pair of gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, cementing his place among historians as perhaps the best sprinter ever. He tied the world record of 10.06 in his 100-meter victory and then anchored the Americans to victory in the 4×100 relay with a scintillating hand-timed split between 8.5-8.9 seconds.
His future thereafter was in football, where he starred with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys from 1965-1974 – winning a Super Bowl with them in 1971 – and then with the San Francisco 49ers in 1975. He caught 371 passes for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns and was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Hayes’ prowess in football and track & field is unmatched, as the only athlete with both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring, while he and Jim Thorpe are the only Pro Football Hall of Fame members with an Olympic gold medal.
The NCAA and collegiate track & field will mark a momentous milestone in the spring of 2021 -- the 100th anniversary of the NCAA Championships and with that, the NCAA Track & Field Championships. In June 1921, the University of Chicago hosted the first track & field championships in NCAA history.
This point can’t be emphasized enough: Not only was the event the first for NCAA track & field, but the first championships for any sport under the sponsorship of the NCAA.
To celebrate, over each of the next 365 days, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will celebrate moments, student-athletes, and coaches that have made a century’s worth of championships special. From humble beginnings to important historical milestones to the modern-day, collegiate track & field has evolved with the American society.
The 2021 edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin with preliminary round action on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla., and College Station, Texas. The championships final site and culmination of the celebration is slated for June 9-12, 2021 at the newly rebuilt Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Sternberg Reached New Heights In 1963
Brian Sternberg won the pole vault title at the 1963 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He was the first athlete to clear 16 feet in meet history at 4.97m (16-3¾).
Williams Went Back-To-Back With CR In 1996
Tonya Williams won back-to-back 400H titles at the NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships in 1995 & 1996. She set a CR of 54.56 in 1996 & won by 0.35 seconds.
Kimobwa Ran Into Record Book In 1977
Samson Kimobwa set a MR in the 10K of 28:10.27 at the 1977 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. He won by 12.21 seconds in a race that saw the top-2 finishers under previous meet record.
Florida’s Taylor Set All-Conditions TJ Best In 2011
Christian Taylor set an all-conditions meet best in the triple jump of 17.80m (58-4¾) at the 2011 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Taylor also won the TJ crown in 2010.
Johnson Led 1-2-3 HJ Sweep By Arizona In 1985
Katrena Johnson led a 1-2-3 finish by Arizona athletes in the high jump at the 1985 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Johnson cleared 1.94m (6-4¼) to set a collegiate record.
Fresno State’s Robinson Equaled WR In 1957
Ancel Robinson equaled the world record in the 220H of 22.2 at the 1957 NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships. He also matched the American record & collegiate record.
Johnson Set 1500 MR After Thrilling Duel
Sinclaire Johnson set a meet record in the 1500 of 4:05.98 at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Johnson won an epic duel against Jessica Hull of Oregon.
Bohni Soared To Pole Vault MR In 1983
Felix Bohni set a meet record in the pole vault of 5.55m (18‑2½) at the 1983 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Bohni was one of three men to top 18 feet.
Frerichs Broke Steeplechase Records In 2016
Courtney Frerichs set a collegiate record in the steeplechase of 9:24.41 at the 2016 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships. Frerichs won by the second largest margin in meet history.
URI’s Black Rolled To NCAA’s 1st 10K Title
Robert Black won the first 10,000-meter title ever awarded at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1948. Black crossed the finish line in 32:13.5, 48 seconds ahead of the runner-up.