Willie Deckard (January 3, 1951 – May 6, 2023) was a track and field athlete that competed as a sprinter at Dorsey High School, LA City College, and USC.

High school

June 1968, Deckard ( Dorsey High School) won the 220-yard dash at the California State Track and Field Championship. Earlier in the season Deckard was the leading L.A. City high school sprinter 9.6 (100) and 21.2 (220), and won the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

L.A. City Athlete of the Year.

College

May 1969, Deckard (LA City College) was second in the 100-yard dash in the Junior College division at the

West Coast Relays Started April 30, 1927, the West Coast Relays grew to one of the premier track and field events in the United States. Held in Fresno's Ratcliffe Stadium, it was the site of thirty-six world records and many national and collegiate records. It becam ...

May 1971, Willie Deckard (of USC) assisted USC in defeating UCLA with his 9.2 (100-yard), 20.2 (220-yard), and 4x110 relay performance. The 9.2 and 20.2 were Meet Records. The 9.2 was tied for the top World mark in 1971, and the 20.2 was the top American mark in 1971. May 1971, Deckard set a UW stadium record of 9.4 in the 100-yard dash at the Pacific-8 Track and Field Championship. Deckard won the 100-yard and 220-yard finals. June 1971, at the NCAA Track and Field Championship, Deckard (USC) set a stadium record (20.5) in a 220-yard heat and was part of the winning 4x110 Relay. Relay team included Lance Babb. July 1971, Deckard placed 2nd in the 200 meter in the USA vs USSR vs The World Track Meet. The meet was part of the USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet Series. Deckard was the leading 1st round qualifier in the

200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

at the

1971 Pan American Games * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Jan ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

, Colombia, however he did not finish the final. Later he ran on the bronze medal-winning 4x100 relay that was nipped in a photo finish for the silver by Cuba. June 1, 1972, Deckard (USC) ran 10.0 (100-meter) and a 20.2 wind aided (200-meter) during the qualification rounds at the NCAA Track and Field Championship in Eugene. USC's

4 × 100 metres relay The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the individu ...

team (Williams, Brown, Garrison, and Deckard) won at the Championship.

Post college

July 1972, Deckard joined the California International Track Club. July 1, 1972, Deckard ran a 9.9 wind aided 100-meter dash at the 1972 Olympic Trials. Deckard placed 5th in the 200-meter final. Feb 1973, Deckard won the 60-yard dash at the Seattle Indoor T&F Meet in 6.0 (a new meet record). May 1973, Deckard won the 220-yard dash in the Invitational Division at the

Mt. SAC Relays The Mt. SAC Relays are an annual track and field festival held primarily at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the Mt. San Antonio College campus in Walnut, California. The Relays are held in mid-April each year since the first edition held on April 24-25, 1 ...

. May 1976, Deckard ran a 20.6 for the 200-meter dash at an All-Comers Meet at UC Irvine. Coached track and field at several high schools.

Honors

April 2009, Deckard was inducted into the USC Dual Meet Hall of Fame.USC Trojan website, April 28, 200

Retrieved May 7, 2023

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deckard, Willie Track and field athletes from Los Angeles 1951 births Living people American male sprinters Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games