re: Who are your 10 most influential USA Track Athletes?

Tyson Gay. He was the fastest US guy ever.

Flo-Jo?

Every female sprinter across the world is still trying to chase her numbers.

If a track nerd was writing a book, John Carlos and Tommie Smith together would definitely be in the top 10.

Mary Decker would have to be in my top 10. She was a superstar from the time she was 14 and easily the most important American female distance runner of all time.

She set a bunch of world records and won world championships but will always be remembered for what she couldn't do. There was so much hype with her and Budd going into the Olympics and it couldn't have played out in a more obvious way for her. I had Farrah Fawcett on my wall but I also got a lot of mileage out of picture in Sports Illustrated of Mary my first few years in junior high.

Prefontaine

quote:

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She set a bunch of world records and won world championships but will always be remembered for what she couldn't do

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It was a very American response at the time during the Cold War. People actually hated her for being intentionally tripped...but not getting up and winning. It was unfair but its what we wanted from American athletes.



Instead she cried. And that carried an unfortunate stigma.

Dan and Dan, that year with ESPN made people wanna watch even though it turned into a dud

Influential makes it tough.

Dick Fosbury has to be at the top of the list. He literally changed how people did the high jump. Can’t be more influential than that except for Kip Keino who ushered in the East African running revolution.

Crazy how both of those guys made their mark in the same Olympics, which also had the insane Bob Beamon long jump plus the black power salute of Tommie Smith and John Carlos. All of that in a week.

From a success level, there are some modern athletes who had incredible success but I’m unsure if they’re really influential. But they are all time greats.

Unfortunately Marion Jones is probably the most influential new school track star because so many BALCO clients were popped for PEDs in the early 2000s.

Old school
Jim Thorpe and Jesse Owens at the top of the list
Al Oerter
Bob Hayes
Wilma Rudolph
Bob Beamon
Rafer Johnson
Steve Prefontaine because of his relationship with Nike
Bruce Jenner
Edward Moses

Carl Lewis is the bridge between old school and new school

New School
Michael Johnson
Marion Jones unfortunately (and the whole BALCO crew certainly influenced the track world)
Dan O’Brien
Ashton Eaton
Allyson Felix
At least 3-4 current people will make the list in a decade (Sydney McLaughlin, Ryan Crouser, and Athing Mu are the most likely along with the insane 100/200/400 times of Fred Kerley)

jackie joyner kersey and flo jo

JJK has been extremely influential with helping kids in east st.louis(illinois) schools.

While his life was cut short and never medaled, Steve Prefontane had, and still has, a cultish type following from competitive level high school and college distance runners.