HAYES, BOB

born Dec. 20, 1942, Jacksonville, Fla., U.S. Bob Hayes (left, foreground) winning the 100-metre dash at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo byname of Robert Lee Hayes American sprinter who, with nine other runners, held the world record in the 100-metre dash (10.0 seconds) from 1960 to 1968. Although he was slow out of the starting block and had an almost lumbering style of running, he was a remarkably powerful sprinter with as much raw speed as any athlete in history. Hayes began running as a boy with his brother Ernest, who was training to be a boxer. At Matthew W. Gilbert High School in Jacksonville, Hayes played running back on the football team and sprinted, as he also did at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Tallahassee) in 196064. He set a world record for the 100-yard dash in 1963. At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he won the gold medal for the 100-metre dash and tied the world record. He won a second gold medal as the anchor of the 4 100-metre relay team. The relay victory was a world-record performance highlighted by Hayes, who was trailing by 4 m when he received the baton and won the race by 3 m, covering his leg in an estimated 8.6 seconds. After retiring from sprinting, Hayes played professional football as wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys for 10 seasons, beginning in 1965. At his retirement from football he had set team records for pass receptions and kick returns.