A house RESOLUTION

to recognize and honor Bob Hayes, American Olympic sprinter and football player, for his remarkable speed and athletic endurance and for his many athletic achievements and for his numerous athletic awards.

Whereas, born in Jacksonville, Florida, on December 20, 1942, Bob Hayes was an early Christmas gift to the world of track and of football. His impressive speed and form on the track won him many accolades from the early 1960s until his retirement in 1976; and

Whereas, he began running as a boy with his brother Ernest, who was training to be a boxer. At Matthew W. Gilbert High School in Jacksonville, he played running back on the football team and sprinted for the track team, both of which he continued to do at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee from 1960 to 1964; and

Whereas, although he was relatively slow out of the starting block and had an almost lumbering style of running, Mr. Hayes was a remarkably powerful sprinter with as much raw speed as any athlete in history; and

Whereas, he set a world record of 9.1 seconds for the 100-yard dash in 1963. At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he won the gold medal for the 100-meter dash, tying the world record of 10.0 seconds; and

Whereas, he also won an Olympic gold medal in 1964 as the anchor of the 4x100-meter relay team. That relay victory was a world-record performance of 39.0 seconds, highlighted by Mr. Hayes, who received the baton as his team was trailing by four meters. He made up the four meters to win the race for the American team by three meters, covering his leg in an estimated 8.6 seconds; and

Whereas, after he retired from sprinting, Mr. Hayes played professional football as wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys for ten seasons, beginning in 1965. He helped the Cowboys win the nascent Super Bowl V in 1971. At the time of his retirement from football in 1976, he held the team record for seventy-one career touchdowns, the team record for an average of twenty yards per reception, and the team record for 11.1 average yards per kick return, among other records; and

Whereas, in 2009, Mr. Hayes was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His legacy still excites the hearts of promising young athletes and reminds all Americans of the passion to achieve greatness.  Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Bob Hayes, American Olympic sprinter and football player, for his remarkable speed and athletic endurance and for his many athletic achievements and for his numerous athletic awards.

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