Hayes, Robert Lee

▪ 2003

“Bob” 

      American sprinter and football player (b. Dec. 20, 1942, Jacksonville, Fla.—d. Sept. 18, 2002, Jacksonville), commanded an incredible speed that not only helped him set records in track and field but also fundamentally changed professional football when opposing teams, finding that they could not match his speed man-to-man, adopted defensive zone coverages to contain him. He was a two-sport standout at Florida A&M University, with an unorthodox pigeon-toed running style and outsized musculature for a track star. By 1963 he was becoming one of the all-time greatest runners when he set the world record over 100 yd in 9.1 sec and matched the world indoor records over 60 yd four times in four weeks. Hayes capped a brilliant career in athletics by winning two gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. On a soft cinder track, he won the 100-m dash by a wide margin, tying the world-record time (10.0 sec), and in the world-record (39.06) 4 × 100-m relay, he led a thrilling come-from-behind victory on an anchor leg that was clocked at 8.6 sec. Later that year he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as a wide receiver, and in 10 seasons he averaged 20 yd per catch and helped the team to reach the Super Bowl in 1972. After an additional season with the San Francisco 49ers, he enjoyed a brief professional career back on the track. Hayes, christened the “fastest man alive,” was the only athlete to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. He was inducted into the Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1976. After retirement he struggled with addiction for several years and later suffered from poor health.

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