Hayes Wendell Jones (born August 4, 1938) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

, winner of the 110 m hurdles event at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

. He was born in

Starkville, Mississippi Starkville is a city in, and the county seat of, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. Mississippi State University is a land-grant institution and is located partially in Starkville but primarily in an adjacent unincorporated area desig ...

. Jones first major title was the hurdles at the 1958 AAU championships. He won four more AAU titles: 1960 and 1964 in 110 m hurdles and 1961 and 1963 in hurdles. In 1959, Jones, as an

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

representative, won the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

titles in and hurdles, following his first major international experience, when he won the 110 m hurdles at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

. A year later, at the

Rome Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

he was third behind teammates

Lee Calhoun Lee Quincy Calhoun (February 23, 1933 – June 21, 1989) was an American athlete, a double winner of 110 m hurdles at the Olympic Games. Biography Born in Laurel, Mississippi, Lee Calhoun, representing North Carolina Central University, won ...

and Willie May, after which many observers believed he had reached his peak performance. But he returned to the 1964 Olympic Games in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, where he won the gold medal and his teammate

Blaine Lindgren Harold Blaine Lindgren (June 26, 1939 – October 5, 2019) was an American sprinter who competed mainly in the 110 m hurdles. He won this event at the 1963 Pan American Games, but then was beaten by Hayes Jones by a small margin in several compet ...

won the silver. Jones also ran on a 4 × 100 m

relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switch ...

team that set a

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 1961. After retiring from competition, Jones became

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's director of recreation in 1967. He has also worked in

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

and owned his own baggage check-in service at

Detroit Metropolitan Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport, or simply DTW, is a major international airport in the United States covering effective December 30, 2021. in Romulus, Michigan. It is the primar ...

Politics

From January 2005 through March 2006, Jones served as the director of the Oakland County Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs. In 2006 he left Oakland County to run for State Representative in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

to finish the term vacated by newly elected Pontiac Mayor Clarence Phillips and to win a full two-year term starting in January 2007. Jones was on the primary ballot twice; the first to finish the term left vacant by Phillips, and second, to be the Democratic candidate for the full two-year term in the general election. Oddly Jones won the right to be the Democratic candidate for the remainder of the two months left on Phillips' term while Tim Melton will be the Democratic candidate for the full two-year term. On July 1, 2007 Jones assumed the position of General Manager of SMART (

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is the public transit operator serving the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, United States. It supplements the Detroit Department of Transportation, which operates buses within the ...

), the public transit operator serving suburban Detroit, Michigan.

Personal life

In 2003 Jones married Rhonda, they live in Pontiac. Jones has two children and three grandchildren.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Hayes 1938 births Living people African-American state legislators in Michigan American male hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Sportspeople from Starkville, Mississippi Track and field athletes from Michigan Track and field athletes from Mississippi Sportspeople from Pontiac, Michigan Eastern Michigan University alumni American athlete-politicians Eastern Michigan Eagles men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games 21st-century American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people