Tony Darden (born September 2, 1957) is an American former

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 Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle * Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint ...

events during his career. He is best known for winning the men's

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 ...

at the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

Track career

Darden had a very successful track career for his high school, Norristown High, Pennsylvania; for his university,

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

; and for his track club, Philadelphia Pioneers. At high school, Darden won multiple state championships and achieved national fame by recording national indoor records at 300 and 500 yards."Pennsylvania Track and Field Hall of Fame"
. Retrieved January 26, 2013. At Arizona State University, Darden was a key member of the track team, competing in the sprints and sprint relay, and helped the team to their first

NCAA Championship 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 and ...

in 1977. Also in 1977, Darden was a member of two Arizona State record-breaking relay teams. The first tied the 4x220 yards world best with a time of 1:21.7 in Austin, Texas on April 1 at the

Texas Relays The Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays are an annual track and field competition held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas serves as host for the event, held on either the first or second weekend of April. Events are hel ...

. The second broke the world record for the 4×200 metres with a time of 1:21.4 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 30 at the

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (also Penn Relays Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012, there were ...

. In 1979, Darden having finished second at the USA championships (see below) qualified for 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 ...

. Willie Smith, as American No. 1, was expected to be the main rival to the legendary Cuban athlete

Alberto Juantorena Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...

. In the end a foot injury and a problem with a shoe put paid to his chances, and it was an inspired piece of running by Darden that meant it was he who was to beat Juantorena into second. Darden finished third in 400 m at the 1979 Athletics World Cup and anchored the United States 4 × 400 m relay team to victory. Darden received some criticism for his run in the individual event but ran a superb relay leg to redeem his reputation. At the 1981 Athletics World Cup, Darden again anchored the United States 4 × 400 m relay team to victory, in a time that was then the third fastest ever. Darden never ran in an Olympics. As a high-school student he reached the quarter finals at the

United States Olympic Trials The United States Olympic Trials are competitions held in certain sports to select the United States' participants in those sports at the Olympic Games. These events include: * United States Olympic Trials (curling) * United States Olympic Trials (d ...

in 1976. In 1980 though he finished fifth and so qualified for the 4 × 400 m relay squad but the United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics.The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field
R Hymans, USA Track & Field, 2008 Darden set his personal best (45.01) in the 400 metres on June 21, 1981, in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

Later career

As of 2012, Darden was head coach for the Greater Norristown Police Athletic League track and field team. Darden is

USATF 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 ...

level one certified coach. Between 2000 and 2004, Darden was a member of the Norristown Municipal Council and in 2004 Darden was Norristown Council President.

Rankings

Darden was ranked among the best in the US and the world in the 400 m sprint from 1977 to 1982, according to the votes of the experts of ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runni ...

''.

USA Championships

Darden was a very successful competitor at 400 m in the USA National Track and Field Championships between 1977 and 1984:

Accolades and awards

In 2007, Darden was inducted into the

'Wall of Fame'. Darden had already been inducted into the Penn Relays "Relays’ Wall of Fame" in 1994 as a member of the winning 1977 Arizona State University 4 × 400 m relay team. In 1989, Darden, along with the rest of the members of the 1977 sprint relay teams, was inducted into the Arizona State University Hall of Fame. In 1990, Darden was inducted into the Norristown Area School District Hall of Champions.Hall of Champions Inductees
Norristown Area School District.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darden, Tony 1957 births Living people Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania People from Norristown, Pennsylvania American male sprinters African-American male track and field athletes Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Arizona State Sun Devils men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople