Willie Smith

Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	Willie James Smith III (1956-02-28)February 28, 1956[1] Rochester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	November 7, 2020(2020-11-07) (aged 64)
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	161 lb (73 kg)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event	400 meters
College team	Auburn Tigers
Achievements and titles
Personalbest	400m - 44.73 s (1978)
Medal record Men'sAthletics Representingthe United States Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles 4x400 m relay Athletics World Cup 1979 Montreal 4x400 m relay 1981 Rome 4x400 m relay Pan American Games 1979 San Juan 400 metres World Student Games 1977 Sofia 400 metres

Willie James Smith III (February 28, 1956 – November 7, 2020)^[2] was an Americanathlete^[3] who was the national champion 400 metres runner in 1979-80, and a gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics in the 4 × 400 m relay.

Smith attendedAuburn University, where he was a successful athlete for theAuburn Tigers.^[4] Smith arrived at Auburn as a nationally renowned high-school sprinter from his time atUniondale High School, New York.Track and Field News named him High School Athlete of the Year in 1974.^[5][6][7]

Smith started his college career as a sprinter. He then switched to the longer distance of 400 m., prompted by injuries incurred in shorter sprints, and by the emergence of competition from up-and-coming sprinters likeHarvey Glance.^[4] Despite this, Smith was a successful enough 100 m. sprinter to be an alternate for the United States 4 × 100 m. relay team at the1976 Montreal Olympics. Having finished fifth in the 100 m. final at theUnited States Olympic Trials, he was placed in the third qualifying position up to 80 m. of the race.^[8][9]

At his new distance of 400 m., Smith quickly achieved national success, winning the1978 and1979 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships titles at the distance.^[4][10][11] Smith was also runner-up in the 400 meters at the1978 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, behindCal winnerBilly Mullins whose title was later revoked due to academic ineligibility.^[12][13]

Internationally, Smith won a silver medal at the1977 World Student Games at 400 m.

When he graduated in 1978, Smith received his university's top honor of Athlete of the Year.^[6]

After graduation, Smith continued as an athlete. He was twice United States National Champion at 400m., in 1979 and 1980.^[14] His reward in 1979 was a place on the American team for thePan American Games at 400 m. Here he won bronze.^[1] Smith, as American No. 1 was expected to be the main rival to the great Cuban athleteAlberto Juantorena. In the end, a foot injury and a problem with a shoe, plus an inspired piece of running by his American colleagueTony Darden, meant it was Darden and not him who beat Juantorena into second.^[15]

Smith finished second in the 400 m. final at theUnited States Olympic Trials for the1980 Olympics. He was unable to compete due to theUnited States boycott of those games. A defeat of the Olympic championViktor Markin was little consolation.^[16] Years later, he did receive one of 461Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.^[17]

Smith was also a member of winning United States 4 × 400 m. relay teams in the1979 and1981 IAAF Athletics World Cups.

In 1983, he competed at the inauguralIAAF Athletics World Championships in the American 4 × 400 m. relay team. However, he collided with a competing Soviet Union runner on the third leg, falling, leaving the American final leg runner, the great 400 m. hurdlerEd Moses, with no chance of victory despite his valiant but vain effort to catch the leaders - the team eventually finished down the field.^[18] Smith said "It was a stupid mistake. I almost quit the sport."^[16]

In 1984, Smith finished sixth in the 400 m. final at the United States Olympic Trials for the1984 Los Angeles Olympics thus qualifying to be part of the 4 × 400 m. relay squad for those games.^[8] The United States 4 × 400 m. relay team came first and Smith received an Olympic gold medal by virtue of having run a leg for the team in a qualifying heat and the semi-final.

In 1988, he attempted again to qualify for the Olympics, as a 32-year-old. He failed, finishing 8th in a semi-final of the 400 m. trial at the United States Olympic Trials.^[8] He was reported as working then full-time as a television news director. Smith himself at the time wondered about "what makes him run" and considered the attempt at making the Olympic team like "a bad habit. It gets in your blood".^[19]

In 1996, Smith attempted to compete at the1996 Atlanta Olympics as a 40-year-old. His struggle was chronicled in theNew York Times.^[16] He did not qualify, even with advice from the elder statesmen of track coachingBrooks Johnson andMel Rosen (his old college coach). However, he did set a master's record.^[6]

Since then he has created and worked at sporting camps for young people.^[20]

In 1997, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.^[6]

In 2000, he was honored as one of six new stars in Auburn's Tiger Trail, Auburn University's replica of Hollywood's walk of fame.^[21]

Track and Field News ranked Smith among the best 400 m runners in the US and the world from 1977 to 1985.^[22][23]

Smith was a very successful competitor at 400 metres at the USA National Track and Field Championships between 1979 and 1983:^[24]

• Willie Smith featured on NBC's Daytime Alabama

• 1956 births
• 2020 deaths
• American men sprinters
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field
• Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Congressional Gold Medal recipients
• People from Rochester, Pennsylvania
• Sportspeople from Beaver County, Pennsylvania
• Medalists at the 1977 Summer Universiade
• FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States
• FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States
• World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games
• Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games
• Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)
• NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
• Auburn Tigers men's track and field athletes
• NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
• 20th-century American sportsmen

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