William Collins (born November 20, 1950) is an American sprinter, originally running for

Mount Vernon High School Mount Vernon High School could refer to: *Mount Vernon High School (Arkansas) — Mount Vernon, Arkansas * Mount Vernon High School (Illinois) — Mount Vernon, Illinois *Mount Vernon High School (Fortville, Indiana) * Mount Vernon High Sch ...

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he won four state titlesMarc Bloom Running
and later at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

where he achieved "All-American" status.RUNNING NOTEBOOK: Houstonian enjoys year for the ages , Outdoors , Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
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Biography

In 1976 he managed to make the finals in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

at the United States Olympic Trials, finishing last which qualified him for the relay pool, though he never ran in the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

. He did make the USA 4x100 relay team that won the gold medal at the first ever 1977 IAAF World Cup. That team's 38.03 was the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

in the event for almost 6 years. He was ranked #7 in the US top ten at 200 metres in 1977 and 1975 At 100 metres he was near the bottom of the top ten 1974-1976 At the international

Pacific Conference Games The Pacific Conference Games were a quadrennial athletics competition, held between 1969 and 1985 and contested by Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. Each of the five nations hosted an edition of the competition before its ...

he won the 1977 gold medal at

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

, the silver at

and was on the gold medal-winning

4 x 100 metres relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

. Collins holds five current Masters World Records, including three age groups of the 100 metres. Younger athletes who train with him and his Houston Elite Track Club at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

refer to him as "

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

." Indoors and outdoors, he has won numerous World and National Championships. In a class by himself he is rarely beaten, except when injured. In 2003 he was voted into the Masters Division of the

National Track and Field Hall of Fame The National Track and Field Hall of Fame is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field. It is located within the Armory Foundation (the former Fort Washington Avenue Armory) at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, b ...

. Geezerjock Magazine name him their inaugural "Geezerjock of the Year" in 2005. In 2007 he was named "

World Masters Athletics World Masters Athletics (WMA) is the worldwide governing body for the sport of masters athletics – which includes track and field, cross country, and road running events – as participated by people over 35 years of age. As the need became ap ...

Masters Athlete of the Year" which was presented at the

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

gala in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. At his first major meet after turning 60, Collins set the world indoor record in the M60 200 metres and 400 metres. He was named USATF "Athlete of the Week" amongst all age divisions. He had received the same citation almost exactly five years earlier after his first major competition after entering the previous age division and setting world records. He co-authored, with Rick Riddle a book on Masters sprinting, "The Ageless Athletic Spirit: Training with a World Champion" In 2011, Collins suffered paralysis to his legs, rendering him unable to walk. It was later diagnosed as

Guillain–Barré syndrome Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain often ...

. As inexplicable as the disease's cause, was his recovery. After spending the 2011 season (when the

World Masters Athletics Championships The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes 35 years of age or o ...

were held in the United States) in a wheelchair, in early 2012 "Superman" came roaring back to set a new indoor world record in the M60

60 metres 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior at ...

at the USA Indoor Masters Championships.

References

External links

1975 Pan American 4 x 100 metres relay final
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Bill 1950 births American male sprinters American track and field coaches World record holders in masters athletics TCU Horned Frogs men's track and field athletes Rice University people Track and field athletes from New York (state) American masters athletes Living people Sportspeople from Mount Vernon, New York Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games People with Guillain–Barré syndrome Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni