Education
University of California, Los Los Angeles
sprinter sports coach athletics competitor
University of California, Los Los Angeles
He is best known for winning the men"s 400 metres event at the 1971 Pan American Games. He remains the world record holder for the 440 yard dash at 44.5 seconds. He set the record while winning the United States of America Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 26, 1971 while running for the Southern California Striders.
The record has stood since then due to metrification in the sport.
Contemporary athletes running the 400 metres rarely run or are timed officially for the extra 2.34 meters to equal 440 yards. After retiring from competition, he became a sprint coach, training Maurice Greene and Ato Boldon amongst others
At the time, his team called HSI (standing for Hudson Smith International) was the top sprint team in the world. He now coaches Carmelita Jeter, who holds the second fastest 100 m time after Florence Griffith-Joyner.