 Kingdom (center) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Roger Nona Kingdom |
| Born | (1962-08-26)August 26, 1962 (age 63) Vienna, Georgia, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh |
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)[1] |
| Weight | 91 kg (201 lb) |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 10 February 2014 | |
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| As strength & conditioning coach: | |
Roger Kingdom (born August 26, 1962) is an American formersprinthurdler who was twice Olympic champion in the110 meters. Kingdom set a world record of 12.92 in 1989. He is now anathletics coach andstrength and conditioning coach who currently works as a speed and conditioning coach for theTampa Bay Buccaneers of theNFL.
Born inVienna, Georgia, anathlete of note Kingdom excelled at thehigh jump anddiscus in his formative years as well as being a noteworthyAmerican football player. He attended theUniversity of Pittsburgh originally on a football scholarship but excelled on theschool's track team winning the NCAA outdoor national championship in the 110 meter hurdles in 1983 and theNCAA indoor national championship in the 55 meter hurdles in 1984.
He had a long and distinguished career on the track in the110 meter high hurdles, winning his firstOlympicgold medal in the1984 Summer Olympics. In 1988, he was unbeaten all season and was the favorite to retain his Olympic title in the1988 Summer Olympics inSeoul, South Korea. In a stunning display of technique, power, and speed, he won by three meters, becoming the first man to run below the 13 second barrier in an Olympic final, running 12.98s. This record stood until 1996 whenAllen Johnson broke it at theAtlanta Games. Kingdom is only the second athlete to have successfully defended his 110 m hurdle Olympic title, afterLee Calhoun, who won the gold medal in both 1956 and 1960.
Kingdom set a 110 m high hurdlesWorld Record of 12.92 seconds inZürich,Switzerland in 1989. This stood until August 20, 1993 when it was beaten by 1/100 of a second byColin Jackson ofGreat Britain inStuttgart,Germany, a subsequent record that stood for 13 years.
His progress was hampered some in 1991 when he underwentsurgery to repairACL damage and remove bone chips from hisknee. He returned to competition to win the gold medal in the1995Pan American Games and the bronze medal in the1995World Championships in Athletics.
Kingdom retired from active athletic competition in 1999.
In 2006, Kingdom was inducted into thePennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted along with NFL'sBap Manzini and MLB'sJim Russell.
In 2018, Kingdom was included in the inaugural class of the University of PittsburghPitt Athletics Hall of Fame
Kingdom joined theCalifornia University of Pennsylvania's athletics staff as an assistantTrack & Field andCross Country coach in 2004. He then became the director of both teams in 2006.
On March 6, 2014, Kingdom was hired as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for theNFL'sArizona Cardinals. Kingdom worked with head strength and conditioning coachBuddy Morris, his own strength coach at the University of Pittsburgh, and focused on improving the team's speed.[2]
Kingdom then spent the 2018 season as the Interim Director of Track & Field/Cross Country at theUniversity of Central Florida
In 2019, Kingdom returned to the NFL as the speed and conditioning coach of theTampa Bay Buccaneers. In Tampa, he again worked under head coachBruce Arians, who was the Cardinals' head coach during Kingdom's tenure in Arizona.[3]
In 2021, Kingdom won aSuper Bowl title inSuper Bowl LV.[4]
Kingdom is a member ofOmega Psi Phi fraternity.
He currently resides inOrlando, Florida with his wife, Mary. They have three daughters: Jierra, Cierra and Carina.
(110 m hurdles unless stated)
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 110 m hurdles world record holder August 16, 1989 – August 20, 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year 1989 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Men's 110 m Hurdles Best Year Performance 1985 1988–1989 | Succeeded by |
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