Michael "Mike" Franks (born September 23, 1963) is a former American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who competed in the

400-meter dash The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

. He was the silver medalist in the event at the inaugural 1983 World Championships in Athletics.Franks Michael
IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-05. He was given the Harrison Dillard Award in 1984 for his achievements. While attending

Southern Illinois University Carbondale Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 st ...

, he took the 400 m title at the 1985

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

. That same year he took the gold medal at the 1985 IAAF Grand Prix Final and two further golds at the 1985 IAAF World Cup in the 400 m and 4×400-meter relay events. He was the fastest athlete of

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

over 400 m with his personal best time of 44.47 seconds. He competed at the

1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 1st IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in Indianapolis, United States from March 6 to March 8, 1987. The championship had previously been known as the World Indoor Games, which were held once before changing the name. Bein ...

and secured the bronze medal behind Antonio McKay and Roberto Hernández. Turning to the outdoor season, he won at the

1987 Summer Universiade The 1987 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIV Summer Universiade, took place in Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. It involved participants from 111 countries and over 6,000 individual sportspersons and members of teams. Infrastructural cha ...

, taking the 400 m students' title. He was selected as an alternate for the 4×400 m relay at the

1987 World Championships in Athletics The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987. Men's results Track 1983 , 1987 ...

and helped set a championship record of 2:59.06 in the semi-finals (which was later improved upon when the Americans took gold in the event final.Results - 4 X 400 METRES - Men - Semi-Final
. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-05.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Franks, Michael Living people 1963 births American male sprinters Southern Illinois Salukis athletes World Athletics Championships medalists Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade gold medalists for the United States World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists World Athletics Championships winners Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade