Cottrell James Hunter III (December 14, 1968 – November 28, 2021) was an American

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

ter and coach. He was the 1999

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, but is perhaps best known for his involvement in the

BALCO scandal The BALCO scandal was a scandal involving the use of banned, performance-enhancing substances by professional athletes. The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) was a San Francisco Bay Area business which supplied anabolic steroids to profes ...

and as the onetime spouse of sprinter

Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track and field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 200 ...

. His personal best was 71' 9", (21.87 m) thrown during a 2nd-place finish in the 2000 US Olympic Trials. A month later he was tested positive for the performance-enhancing steroid

Nandrolone Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) which is used in the form of esters such as nandrolone decanoate (brand name Deca-Durabolin) and nandrolone phenylpropionate (brand name Durabolin). Nandrolon ...

at the

Bislett Games The Bislett Games is an annual track and field meeting at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. History The first international athletics meeting at Bislet ...

, which was revealed before he had been scheduled to compete in the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. He had previously competed at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, finishing seventh. The 6'1", 330 lb Hunter was a three-time

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

, where he still holds the outdoor and indoor shot put record (65'5" and 64'4½", or 19.93 m and 19.62 m respectively). He earned his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

there in 1991. Hunter first began throwing the shot after repeatedly failing to make the

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team at

Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Frankl ...

's Franklin D. Roosevelt Senior High School. Hunter first met

when she was 16. They reconnected in 1995 when he was hired as a coach with the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

track team. He was forced to resign from his position after repeatedly refusing to conform with school rules that prohibited coach-athlete dating. They married on October 3, 1998, only to

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

in 2002 following the publicity surrounding the

. Hunter resided in

Holly Springs, North Carolina Holly Springs is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 41,239, a 67% increase from 2010. History Etymology The town's name refers to the free flowing springs that emerge into a ...

with his son from his third marriage, Nicko. He died on November 28, 2021, at the age of 52.

References

External links

C. J. Hunter biography
at

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

C. J. Hunter photo, biography & stats
at sporting-heroes.net
"It's been going on for a long, long time"
Black Athlete Sports Network, August 28, 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, C.J. 1968 births 2021 deaths African-American male track and field athletes American track and field coaches Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Doping cases in athletics NC State Wolfpack football coaches Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Pennsylvania State University alumni Sports coaches from Washington, D.C. American male shot putters Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games World Athletics Championships medalists Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Goodwill Games medalists in athletics People from Apex, North Carolina People from Holly Springs, North Carolina World Athletics Championships winners Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Track and field athletes from Washington, D.C.

See also

References

External links