Lennox Valencia Miller (8 October 1946 in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

– 8 November 2004 in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

) was a champion runner and father of

Inger Miller Inger Miller (born June 12, 1972) is a retired American track and field sprinter who competed in the 100 metres and 200 m. She is the daughter of Lennox Miller, an Olympic champion runner from Jamaica. She attended John Muir High School in P ...

. Representing Jamaica, Miller won the silver medal in the 100 meters in the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

and the bronze in the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, also in the 100. He and Inger are the first father-daughter to win Olympic track and field medals. He was her coach prior to her winning gold in 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, ...

. Both ran for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, where Miller earned a degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and graduated from the dental school. He had been a dentist in Pasadena for 30 years. While at USC, Miller anchored the still standing

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 ...

4x110 yard relay at the

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make up ...

s, held at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

. The

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

distance became defunct as 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 ...

now only recognizes metric races (except the one

Mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

), so the event is rarely run and not part of elite competition. The record was also complicated because of Miller's Jamaican citizenship, the makeup of the team was not entirely from one country. Miller took the baton from O. J. Simpson. Also on the team was future NFL star

Earl McCullouch Earl R. McCullouch (born January 10, 1946) is a retired American football wide receiver. McCullouch was the world record holder for the 110 meter men's high hurdle sprint from July 1967 to July 1969. When attending the University of So ...

References

Obituary at IAAF.org
* 1946 births 2004 deaths Sportspeople from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Olympic athletes of Jamaica Olympic silver medalists for Jamaica Olympic bronze medalists for Jamaica Deaths from cancer in California Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Jamaica Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Jamaica Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Jamaica University of Southern California alumni Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games {{jamaica-athletics-bio-stub