 Hines in 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Ray Hines | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1946-09-10)September 10, 1946 Dumas, Arkansas, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Died | June 3, 2023(2023-06-03) (aged 76) Hayward, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | |||||||||||||||||
| Football career | ||||||||||||||||||
| No. 99, 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wide receiver | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | |||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Oakland (CA) McClymonds | |||||||||||||||||
| College | Texas Southern | |||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1968: 6th round, 146th overall pick | |||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||
Event | Sprints | |||||||||||||||||
| College team | Texas Southern Tigers | |||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbests |
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Medal record
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James Ray Hines (September 10, 1946 – June 3, 2023) was an Americantrack and field athlete andNational Football League (NFL) player, who held the100-meter world record for 15 years. In 1968, he became the first man to officially break the10-second barrier in the100 meters, and won individual and relay gold at theMexico City Olympics.[2]
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Born inDumas, Arkansas, Hines was raised inOakland, California, and graduated fromMcClymonds High School in 1964. He was abaseball player in his younger years[3] until he was spotted by track coach Jim Coleman as a running talent, and Hines became a sprinter. At the 1968 U.S. national championships inSacramento, California, Hines became the first man to break the ten second barrier in the 100-metre race, setting 9.9 (manual timing), with an electronic time of 10.03 – two other athletes,Ronnie Ray Smith behind him (electronic time 10.13) andCharles Greene on the other semi-final (electronic time 10.09) having the same official clocking. That evening of June 20, 1968, atHughes Stadium has been dubbed by track and field historians as the "Night of Speed".[4] Hines attendedTexas Southern University inHouston, Texas. He was a member of the Texas Southern University Tigers track team.
A few months later, at the1968 Summer Olympics, Hines – ablack athlete – found himself in a tense situation, withracial riots going on in his home country and a threat of a boycott by the black athletes of the U.S. team, who were disturbed by the controversial idea of admittingapartheidSouth Africa to the Games and revelations linking the head of theInternational Olympic Committee,Avery Brundage, to a racist andantisemitic country club. Hines reached the 100 m final, and won it with the time 9.89 appearing on the screen, later corrected to 9.95. The 9.89 was taken from a light beam across the finish line, while the official photographic process usedPolaroid film and took a couple of minutes to process and read. There was some controversy over how his (slower appearing) automatic time of 9.95 should compare to the hand timed 9.9 world record (Hines was again recorded at 9.9 in his 9.95 race). Automatic times start instantly with the sound of the gun, while hand times include human reaction time to start the watch. It took until 1977 beforefully automatic timing was required of world records. As the fastest electronic time to that point, Hines' mark was recognized exclusively as a new world record.[5] The race was also significant for being the third all-black podium in Olympic history. Hines helped break another world record, when he and his teammates sprinted to the4 × 100 m relaygold at the same Games.
Hines was drafted by theMiami Dolphins of the NFL in the sixth round of the1968 NFL/AFL draft.[6] Hines spent the1968 season on the Dolphins'practice squad. He was given the nickname "Oops". He appeared in ten games with Miami in 1969, accumulating a total of 52 all-purpose yards.[7] Hines' final professional game was his first and only game with theKansas City Chiefs in 1970.[7] Hines was ranked as the 10th-worst NFL player of all time byDeadspin writer Jeff Pearlman.[8]
For years Hines worked with inner-city youth inHouston, as well as on oil rigs outside the city.[9]
Hines's world record remained unsurpassed untilCalvin Smith ran a time of 9.93 in 1983.[3]
Hines competed in the 100 at a 1984 Masters Track and Field Competition at UCLA.[10]
Hines was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, class of 1994.[11] Hines was also inducted into the Texas Track and Field coaches Hall of Fame, class of 2016.[12]
Hines died inHayward, California, on June 3, 2023, at the age of 76.[13][14]
| Records | ||
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| Preceded by | Men's 100 meters world record holders June 20, 1968 – October 13, 1968 October 14, 1968 – July 3, 1983 | Succeeded by |
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| People | |
