Ronnie Ray (born January 2, 1954) is an American retired male

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 events ...

athlete, who competed in the sprints events during his career. He is best known for winning the men's 400 metres event at the

1975 Pan American Games The 1975 Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games were held there. It was the third major sporting event held in the Mexican capital in seve ...

Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of Mex ...

. In that race on 18 October 1975 Ray set his personal best: 44.45. In 1972, while competing for

Homer L. Ferguson High School Ferguson High School was a high school in Newport News, Virginia, United States. It was named after Homer L. Ferguson, the president of Newport News Shipbuilding from July 22, 1915 until July 31, 1946. It was operated by Newport News Public Schools ...

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

, Ray established the National high school record in the 440 yard dash. High school competition shifted to metric distances in 1980, so the race is now rarely contested. Ray's time of 45.8 remains the record to this day. There's also 2 different other people with the same name that are famous

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at ''trackfield.brinkster.net'' 1954 births Living people American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Sportspeople from Newport News, Virginia Track and field athletes from Virginia African-American male track and field athletes Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{US-sprint-athletics-bio-stub