 Harris at the 2008 Iowa State Track and Field Reunion | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Danny Lee Harris |
| Born | September 7, 1965 (1965-09-07) (age 60) Torrance, California, U.S. |
Medal record | |
Danny Lee Harris (born September 7, 1965) is an American formertrack and field athlete who specialized in the400-meter hurdles (400 mH), in which he won silver medals at the1984 Olympics and the1987 World Championships.[1]
Danny Harris is an alumnus ofPerris High School inPerris, California, where he grew up. In 1983, he won theCIF California State Championship in the 300 mH,[2] and ran a thrilling anchor leg vsHawthorne High School'sHenry Thomas in the team's second place4 × 400 meters relay team, leading Perris to its most impressive showing at the event.
Harris attendedIowa State University and competed for theIowa State Cyclones track and field. His time of 48.02 in 1984 at age 18 remained the 400 mHworld under-20 record untilSean Burrell's47.85 in 2021.[3] Harris finished second toEd Moses inthe 1984 Olympic final. He collected threeNCAA 400 mH titles and fourDrake Relays titles while at Iowa State. He was never beaten by a collegiate athlete in the 400 mH during his time at Iowa State, and helped lead the Cyclones to three outdoorBig Eight team titles and two indoor crowns during his three-year career, collecting 12 titles. He setBig Eight records in the 400 mH,600 yards and 4 × 400 relay.
At a meeting in Madrid in 1987, Harris became the first man to defeat Edwin Moses at 400 mH sinceHarald Schmid in 1977, though Moses narrowly beat Harris inthe 1987 World Championships. Harris missed out onthe 1988 Olympics after finishing fifth inthe U.S. Olympic Trials, behind Moses,Andre Phillips andKevin Young (respectively the 1984, 1988, and1992 Olympic champions).
Harris'personal best for the 400 mH was 47.38 seconds, set atAthletissima in Lausanne in July 1991. He finished fifth inthat year's World Championships. He failed ananti-doping test at the 1992USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and theIAAF suspended him for four years. After he completed adrug rehabilitation program,USA Track & Field agreed to lift his ban in 1994, but after a few weeks the IAAF reimposed it until the following year.[4][5] He was fourth in the 1995 400 mH world rankings, but ahamstring injury kept him out ofthe 1995 World Championships.[5][6] His career ended with a second positive cocaine test after a 1996 race in Rio de Janeiro.[6][7]
In his 1999 autobiography,Roger Black said of Harris: "He was without doubt the most talented athlete I've ever trained with. ... The irony of the whole thing was, cocaine was not making him a better athlete, it was making him worse."[4]
By his own admission, Harris began usingcocaine during his disappointment at missing out on the 1988 Olympics and relapsed after missing a medal in 1991.[6] After his 1992 doping ban he lost hisshoe deal and had to sell his house inLos Angeles.[6] In the decade after his 1996 ban he experienced periods of serious addiction and homelessness.[7] By 2008 he was clean and working at the Midnight Missionhomeless shelter where he had previously been a client.[8]
Harris later worked as a track coach at various high schools.[8] He had helped Perris High School boys' track team in 2001 to their first League Championship since his own time as a student there.[citation needed]
Harris was inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame in 1995, the Iowa State Hall of Fame in 2000, and theIowa Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[9] In 2016,Crossing the Line, a documentary film about his life, was shown atfilm festivals.[10][8]
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 400 m hurdles season's best 1985 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by ? | Men's 400 m hurdles world junior record holder 17 June 1984 – present | Incumbent |
