Timothy Ralph Danielson (December 3, 1947 - November 26, 2024) was a former American middle-distance runner. He was one of only 21 U.S. high school athletes to ever run the mile in under four minutes. In 2014, he was convicted of the first-degree murder of his ex-wife.

High school

While running for

Chula Vista High School Chula Vista High School (CVHS) is a public high school located in Chula Vista, California. Founded in 1947, it is part of Sweetwater Union High School District. History Chula Vista first opened in the summer of 1947, operating out of a tempora ...

Chula Vista Chula Vista ( ; , ) is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is the second-most populous city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh-most populous city in Southern California, the 15th-most populous city in the ...

, California, Danielson became the second high school 4-minute miler when he ran a 3:59.4 mile at

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

Balboa Stadium Balboa Stadium is an outdoor stadium in San Diego, California, adjacent to San Diego High School and Balboa Park. Owned by the City of San Diego, it is leased to San Diego Unified School District. The stadium is used for local athletics and hig ...

on June 11, 1966. His mile time puts him sixth on the all-time high school miler list, behind Alan Webb's 3:53.43 (2001),

Jim Ryun James Ronald Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former Republican Party (United States), Republican politician and Olympic track and field athlete, who at his peak was widely considered the world's top middle-distance runner. He won a si ...

's 3:55.3 (1965), Drew Hunter's 3:58.25, Reed Brown's 3:59.3 (2017), Matthew Maton's 3:59.38 (2015), and

Grant Fisher Grant Jackson Fisher (born April 22, 1997) is an American middle- and long-distance runner who is the world record holder in the short track 3000 m and 5000 m. Fisher also holds American records in the 3000 m, two mile, and 10,000 m events. ...

's 3:59.38 (2015), and was the fastest time ever run by a California high school student until Colin Sahlman from

Newbury Park High School Newbury Park High School, opened in 1967, is a co-educational public high school located in Newbury Park, California. Academics The school is one of two International Baccalaureate schools in Ventura County, the other being Rio Mesa High Schoo ...

ran 3:58.81 in 2022. He won the mile race at the

CIF California State Meet The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direc ...

in 1965 with a time of 4:08.0 and again the next year with a time of 4:07.0. He won the

Golden West Invitational The Golden West Invitational (GWI) high school track & field all-star meet brings together top high school athletes from throughout the country and provides them with the very highest levels of competition. The GWI made its debut in 1960 and is held ...

High School meet two-mile race in 1966 in a time of 8:55.4. He was ''

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 (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includ ...

'' "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1966.

College

After high school Danielson attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

, where he competed for the track team for a year but never managed to break four minutes for the mile again. He was in the race at the 1967 National Championships where Jim Ryun set the world record at 3:51.1. After running second for much of the race, he faded near the end, finishing 8th in just over 4 minutes. During that same race,

Marty Liquori Martin William Liquori (born September 11, 1949) is a retired American Middle distance track event, middle distance Athletics (sport), athlete. Liquori rose to fame when he became the List of high school students who have run a four minute mile, ...

became the third high school 4 minute miler, a step ahead of him. Danielson's career direction changed. Ryun said "I lost track of Tim after that." He married Carolyn Mooers in February 1968, their first son was born in June, all distractions at the same time he was attempting to qualify for the 1968 Olympics. Before professionalism was allowed "In those days, if anyone married they were finished." said Liquori.

Personal

Danielson began working as an engineer for GKN Aerospace Engine Products in

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish language, Spanish: El Cajón, lit. 'the box') is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajon, Rancho El Cajón, which was named for the ...

in 1971. He married his third wife, Ming Qi in 2006; they divorced in 2008. On June 16, 2011, Danielson was charged in the murder of Ming Qi. He pleaded not guilty. During the trial, Danielson claimed the murder was a suicide attempt, a result of his use of

Chantix Varenicline, sold under the brand names Chantix and Champix among others, is a medication used for smoking cessation and for the treatment of dry eye syndrome. It is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist. When activated, this recep ...

, a drug known a history of these side effects, included in disclaimers attached to its advertising. On May 12, 2014 Danielson was convicted of first-degree murder. On July 11, 2014, Danielson was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. He died on November 26, 2024 of cancer.Chula Vista / South Bay Old Timers Club Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/367789966756998/posts/2514708535398453/ Brian Danielson's (son) Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/brian.danielson.9674/posts/pfbid0MfbYf6GWRXNiPdhsrBqXBzbiiq2cLq5S846yjJvkDg3mCcp7FTLd4R4ZtmC8XihGl

References

External links

California State Records before 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danielson, Tim American male middle-distance runners 1948 births BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes Living people Sportspeople from Chula Vista, California Track and field athletes from California American sportspeople convicted of crimes American people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by California Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by California 20th-century American sportsmen