Blanford Blitzed 100H Record Book

Rhonda Blanford of Nebraska quickly put to end any injury issues at the 1985 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas.

Blanford – the NCAA favorite in the 100 hurdles – went down in the Big Eight meet after winning the 100 meters when a knot behind her left knee tightened.

Three weeks later in the NCAA heats, Blanford ran a wind-aided 12.90, her fastest ever under any conditions and the second-fastest time in meet history.

That was nothing compared to her incredible final, when Blanford stopped the timer at 12.70 to win by a then-record 0.30 seconds. Alas, the time was again wind-aided, but it was also the fastest ever-then recorded by an American and wouldn’t be surpassed in meet history for another 20 years.

In Blanford’s wake was an all-star collection – superstar Jackie Joyner of UCLA was edged for second by future NCAA champ Rosalind Pendergraft (then Council) of Auburn at 13.00, with another future champion (Tennessee’s LaVonna Martin) and future collegiate record holder (UCLA’s Gail Devers) also scoring as freshmen.

It wouldn’t be until two weeks later that Blanford joined a then-exclusive American sub-13 hurdles club, winning the U.S. title at 12.85 over the reigning Olympic gold medalist (Benita Fitzgerald) and American record holder (Stephanie Hightower).

Now Blanford-Green, she is a self-described Army brat who was born in Hawaii before living in Georgia, Florida, Kentucky and Alaska before graduating from Colorado’s Aurora Central High School. She returned to the Centennial state in the summer of 2017, becoming not only the first woman to hold the position of commissioner with the Colorado High School Athletic Association, but the first Black commissioner as well.