Willie James Gault (born September 5, 1960) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who was a
wide receiver in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) for 11 seasons with the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
and
Los Angeles Raiders
The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then agai ...
. Considered one of the fastest NFL players of all-time, Gault was a member of the Bears team that won
Super Bowl XX. He was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team that boycotted the
1980 Olympics.
Gault played college football at the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
from 1979 to 1982. He led the Vols in all-purpose yardage as a sophomore, junior and senior, and was named to the
All-American team
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
in 1982. He still holds numerous school kickoff return records.
[Individual Career Records]
, UTSports.com. Retrieved: August 8, 2013.
Gault married his high school sweetheart, writer/author/actress Dainnese Mathis Gault in 1983. They were married from 1983 to 2002 and have two children.
Gault is currently pursuing a career as an actor. He also remains active in
masters athletics
Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair comp ...
, setting
world masters records in the
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...
and
200 metres
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 ...
dashes for the 45–49, the 50–54, and the 55–59 age groups.
High school
Gault was born and raised in
Griffin, Georgia
Griffin is a city in and the county seat of Spalding County, Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,478.
Griffin was founded in 1840 and named for landowner Col. Lewis Lawr ...
. He was named for his mother, Willie Mae. Both of his parents worked in a textile mill. He later recalled that his classmates considered him a "teacher's pet."
[Bruce Newman,]
Gault Is Divided Into Many Parts
, ''Sports Illustrated'', November 24, 1986. Retrieved: August 8, 2013.
Gault played football and ran
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
for
Griffin High School. He had two receptions for 19 yards in Griffin's 7-7 tie against
Valdosta
Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457.
Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had a ...
in the AAAA State Championship Game during his junior year. He had a 48-yard touchdown catch for the North team in the 1979 GACA North/South Game (a preseason all-star game). During his senior year, he caught 33 passes and scored 7 touchdowns, averaging 19 yards per catch. He was named All-State following his junior and senior seasons.
[1979 Signees]
, ''1979 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide'', p. 56.
University of Tennessee
Football
Gault played football at Tennessee during an era when the school was acquiring its reputation as "Wide Receiver U." Three of Gault's teammates—
Anthony Hancock,
Clyde Duncan
Clyde Louis Duncan, Jr. (February 5, 1961 – February 16, 2015) was a professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played two seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1984 and 1985, finishing his caree ...
, and
Tim McGee
Timothy Dwayne Hatchett McGee (born August 7, 1964) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins from 1986 to 1994. Before his N ...
— would be first-round NFL Draft picks, and three others—
Mike Miller,
Lenny Taylor
Leonard Moore Taylor (born February 15, 1961) is a former wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and the Arena Football League (AFL).
Biography
Taylor was born Leonard Moore Taylor on February 15, 1961, in Miami, Florida.
Caree ...
and Darryal Wilson— would be drafted in later rounds. During his four years at UT, Gault caught 89 passes for 1,482 yards and 10 touchdowns, returned 78 kickoffs for 1,854 yards and four touchdowns, and returned 78 punts for 659 yards and a touchdown.
[Career Football Statistics]
UTSports.com. Retrieved: August 11, 2013.
During the regular season of his freshman year in 1979, Gault caught three passes for 95 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown in Tennessee's 51-18 win over
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. He had a team-leading four catches for 22 yards in the Vols' 27-22 loss to
Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
in the 1979
Bluebonnet Bowl
The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 ...
.
Gault's breakout year came during the
1980 season. Though he caught a relatively modest 14 passes for 240 yards while splitting time with Miller at receiver, he returned 24 kickoffs for 662 yards, and tied a national single-season record by returning three kickoffs for touchdowns. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to provide Tennessee's lone score in the team's 30-6 loss to
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. He then returned kickoffs for touchdowns in back-to-back games at the end of the season: a 92-yarder against
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
and a 98-yarder against
Vanderbilt.
[1981 Squad]
, ''1981 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide'', p. 43. Calling the latter play for the Vol Network, long-time broadcaster
John Ward shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, Willie Gault has run all the way to the
State Capitol." Gault added a 48-yard touchdown catch in the Kentucky win.
During his junior year in 1981, Gault caught 22 passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns while continuing to split time with Miller. He also added to his reputation as a dangerous return man, with 28 kickoff returns for 606 yards, and 31 punt returns for 381 yards and a touchdown. In Tennessee's 28-20 win over
Ole Miss, Gault had a 54-yard kickoff return, a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown, and a 49-yard punt return. He returned a punt 66 yards for an apparent touchdown against
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
, but it was called back on a penalty. He caught a 75-yard touchdown pass in the Vols' loss to
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, and registered a 49-yard touchdown catch against
Memphis State
}
The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...
. He had 217 receiving yards against Vanderbilt, including an 80-yard touchdown catch and a 72-yard reception.
[1982 Squad]
, ''1982 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide'', pp. 45-46. In Tennessee's 28-21 win over
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
in the
1981 Garden State Bowl, Gault returned a kickoff 87 yards for the Vols' first touchdown of the game.
Gault entered his senior year a Preseason All-American.
As part of an explosive receiving corps that included Mike Miller, Lenny Taylor and Darryal Wilson, Gault registered a team-leading 50 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns. He also registered 23 kickoff returns for 549 yards and a touchdown, and 20 punt returns for 145 yards. He caught touchdown passes of 78 yards and 38 yards in Tennessee's 24-14 loss to Auburn, and returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the Vols' 24-24 tie against
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
. Gault caught a 52-yard touchdown pass in Tennessee's 35-28 win over Alabama, helping the Vols break an 11-year losing streak to the Tide. He caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in Tennessee's 28-22 loss to
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
in the 1982
Peach Bowl
The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially ...
. He was named an All-American at the end of the season.
As of the 2012 season, Gault's 1,854 kickoff return yards and 2,513 total return yards remain school records. His 27.6 yards per kickoff return in 1980 and his 987 total return yards in 1981 remain school single-season records. Gault's mark of 4,035 career all-purpose yards is the second-highest tally in school history, trailing only
Stanley Morgan's 4,642. His 273 all-purpose yards against Auburn in 1982 and 268 against Vanderbilt in 1981 remain the second and third-highest single game tallies in school history, trailing only
Chuck Webb's 294 yards in the 1989 Ole Miss game.
Track and field
Gault qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and would have participated in the
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
in Moscow had the United States not
boycotted the event. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a
Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...
.
Gault set a record in the 110-meter high hurdles at the SEC track and field championships in May 1981. At the 1982 SEC championships, he again set the 110-meter high hurdles record, and won the Commissioner's Trophy for the highest overall score. He won the 60-yard hurdles event at the 1983
SEC indoor championships with a time of 7.05. At the 1983
NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
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 ...
, Gault won the
60-yard high hurdles and the
60-yard dash
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
with times of 6.98 and 6.18, respectively. At the 1983
NCAA outdoor championships, Gault placed third behind
Roger Kingdom
Roger Kingdom (born August 26, 1962) is a former sprint hurdler, athletics coach, and strength and conditioning coach from the United States. He is currently the speed and conditioning coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
Early l ...
and Reggie Towns in the
110-meter high hurdles.
Gault was part of a world record-setting
4 × 100 meter relay team (1. Emmit King, 2. Willie Gault, 3. Calvin Smith, 4. Carl Lewis) at the 1983 World Championships. He also competed in the
110 meter hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hur ...
and attended the
Liberty Bell Classic
The Liberty Bell Classic was a track and field athletics event organized by the Athletics Congress as part of the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott and held at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on July 16 and 17, 1980 ...
, where he won a bronze medal in the 100 meter race). He made the 1988 Winter Olympics
bobsledding team as an alternate. His personal bests are 13.26 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles and 10.10 seconds in the
100 meters
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
.
Personal bests
Professional football career
Gault was drafted by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in the first round (18th overall pick) in the
1983 NFL Draft, and had an immediate impact during his rookie season. He caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' loss to
, five passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' loss to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, and four passes for 129 yards and an 87-yard touchdown in the Bears' loss to
Green Bay. Gault was the prototypical "speed merchant", meaning his greatest asset was his pure straight line swiftness.
During the Bears' dominant
1985 season, Gault caught 33 passes for a team-leading 704 yards. His best game of the season came in the Bears' 33–24 win over
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, when he caught six passes for 146 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown. In the Bears' 46–10 victory over
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
in
Super Bowl XX, Gault had four receptions for a game-leading 129 yards, and four kickoff returns for 49 yards. At the end of the 1985 regular season, Gault helped organize teammates to perform the "
Super Bowl Shuffle", a rap song and music video that raised money for a local charity. He sang one verse in the song.
By the 1986 season, friction had developed between Gault and Bears quarterback
Jim McMahon
James Robert McMahon Jr. (born August 21, 1959) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. McMahon played college football at BYU, where he wa ...
. In his autobiography published that year, McMahon suggested that Gault was undependable, and only put forth his best effort if the game was on national television.
Gault stated in an interview with ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' that he wasn't sure why McMahon seemed hesitant to throw it to him more often (the ''Sports Illustrated'' article's author, Bruce Newman, suggested that Gault didn't get as many throws because he was frequently double-teamed).
In spite of this squabble, Gault finished the 1986 season with 42 catches for 818 yards, including 7 catches for 174 yards against
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, and four catches for 116 yards against
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...
.
Prior to the 1988 season, Gault was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. He caught four passes for 102 yards in the Raiders' loss to Cincinnati on October 2, 1988. He caught four passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in the 1989 season opener against
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, and had 147 yards on just two catches in the Raiders' win over Cincinnati on November 5, 1989. He caught four passes for 103 yards to help the Raiders defeat his former team on September 30, 1990. The Raiders did not re-sign Gault following the 1993 season.
In spite of his speed, Gault never won the NFL's "Fastest Man" competition. He placed second behind frequent winner
Darrell Green
Darrell Ray Green (born February 15, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. He is widely considered to be one of the gr ...
in 1986, having defeated fellow Olympic sprinter
Ron Brown
Ronald Harmon Brown (August 1, 1941 – April 3, 1996) was an American politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Commerce during the first term of President Bill Clinton. Prior to this he was chairman of the Democratic National Co ...
in the semifinals. In the 1990 competition, Gault again placed second, losing to Brown in the finals (Green was recovering from an injury and didn't compete). Green (a
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
) would frequently cover Gault when their respective teams played. In the Bears' 23–19 win over
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
in the 1984 playoffs, Gault beat Green for a 75-yard touchdown reception after getting held without a catch in the first half. In the Bears' loss to the Redskins in the 1986 playoffs, Gault had five catches for 82 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown, while going head to head with Green. In the Redskins' 21-17 win over the Bears in the 1987 playoffs, Green held Gault without a catch before leaving the game with an injury. In the Raiders' 21–20 win over the Redskins in 1992, Gault went without a reception for most of the game before beating Green for a 50-yard catch that set up the winning touchdown.
Gault finished his 11 NFL seasons with 333 receptions for 6,635 yards. He also returned 9 punts for 60 yards, rushed for 154 yards, returned 45 kickoffs for 1,088 yards, and scored 45 touchdowns (44 receiving and 1 kickoff return).
NFL career statistics
After retiring as a player
During the late 1980s Willie Gault also owned a trendy upscale clothing boutique in Chicago.
Gault retired in the early 1990s and is pursuing an acting career in
Hollywood. He portrayed Willie the Sweeper in the NBC series
''The Pretender''. Willie also had an appearance on the sitcom ''
Still Standing'' playing himself as the father of Tina's friend. He had a few appearances on ''
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'' (sometimes shortened to ''Ned's Declassified'') is an American live action sitcom on Nickelodeon that debuted on the Nickelodeon Sunday night TEENick scheduling block on September 12, 2004. The series ...
'' playing himself alongside sportscaster
Van Earl Wright and most recently was featured in the
series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...
. He also was in an episode of MTV's ''
Parental Control
''Parental Control'' is a reality television show about people looking for love produced by MTV. The two directors, Brendon Carter and Bruce Klassen, have also created other MTV shows.
In Asia, this show was aired on Channel V from 2007–2009. ...
''. In Season 4 Episode 8 of ''
Friday Night Lights'', the Dillon Lions radio color-man is named Willie Gault as a tribute.
Gault joined other members of the
1985 Chicago Bears in resurrecting the
Super Bowl Shuffle in a
Boost Mobile commercial for
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
.
Gault has been active at the highest levels of
Masters athletics
Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair comp ...
. On June 24, 2006, Gault set a
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
of 10.72 seconds in the master's 100 meters, in the division for athletes aged 45 to 49. On April 26, 2008, Gault (at age 47) set a new world record of 21.80 seconds in the M45-49 age-group for 200m. In May 2011, he set world records for the 50-54 age group in the 100-meter (10.88) and 200-meter (22.44) dashes.
In April 2016, Gault was ordered to pay $206,571 to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit regarding his actions in a scheme to inflate share prices of the medical device company Heart Tronics Inc, for which he had been co-CEO. Gault was cleared of the most serious fraud charges.
In November 2016, Gault was inducted into the 2017 class of the
Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Gault was inducted into the
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in the United States at .
Exhibitions
The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Induc ...
, in Macon, Georgia, as a member of the 2017 class.
Gault was inducted into the
USATF Masters Hall of Fame
The USATF Masters Hall of Fame is the Masters section of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. It is intended to select worthy athletes from the various divisions of Masters athletics involved in the sports of track and field, road running an ...
in 2019.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
Entry at Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
Additional References:
USATF Masters Hall of Fame
The USATF Masters Hall of Fame is the Masters section of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. It is intended to select worthy athletes from the various divisions of Masters athletics involved in the sports of track and field, road running an ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gault, Willie
1960 births
Living people
African-American players of American football
African-American male track and field athletes
American male bobsledders
American football wide receivers
American male hurdlers
American male sprinters
Chicago Bears players
Legends Football League coaches
Los Angeles Raiders players
American masters athletes
Tennessee Volunteers football players
People from Griffin, Georgia
Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
World Athletics Championships medalists
World record holders in masters athletics
Track and field athletes from Georgia (U.S. state)
Congressional Gold Medal recipients
Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
Track and field athletes in the National Football League
Universiade gold medalists for the United States
World Athletics Championships winners
Medalists at the 1983 Summer Universiade
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople