Career
As a Masters sprinter he held the world record in the 100 metres in several age groups. Standing 5"3" the short Dennis was known for his soft spoken nature, his greetings of "Hey man" or "Go man" and his blazing fast starts. Dennis first began sprinting at Fremont High School in Los Angeles where he opened eyes with a 9.5 100 yard dash before transferring to Centennial High School in Compton.
At Centennial, he was joined by Charles Dumas, who had transferred from Jefferson High School.
One year removed from winning the Olympic gold medal and being the first person to jump 7 feet, Dumas winning the high jump was a foregone conclusion. But it was Dennis" 13 points winning the 100, second in the 220 and 4x220 yard relay that led Centennial to the overall team title at the CIF California State Meet in 1955.
Dennis was the top high school 100 yard dash man nationwide that year. Dennis ran collegiately for the University of California.
On September 23, 1983, Dennis set the M45 World Record in the 100 metres at 10.92 in the heats before winning the World Masters Athletics Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
His time in the final was 11.03, was intrinsically superior to Thane Baker"s existing hand timed world record of 10.8. His record would last for almost 7 years. Almost four years later, August 14, 1987, Dennis again ran 11.03, this time to set the M50 World Record in the 100 metres at the USATF Masters Championships in Springfield, Oregon.
That record would last almost 15 years before being surpassed by Bill Collins.
Both were timed in 11.24. In 1989, on American soil in Eugene, Oregon Dennis handily beat Austin to take another world title.
Austin got his revenge winning the 200 metres while Dennis finished second. The next time the two met in the World Championships was 1995 in Buffalo, New York, where Austin came from behind to catch the quick starting Dennis in extremely windy conditions.
That record was surpassed in 2011.
Unfortunately the race was wind aided. A fixture at Southern California track meet, after retiring Dennis moved to Las Vegas. He had to undergo double bypass surgery in 2007, but died during a procedure on his knee.
