Ralph Vernon Mann (born June 16, 1949) is a retired American sprinter and hurdler. He was an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

, and later earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

Biomechanics Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch of ...

from the

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

. In 1969, Mann won his first

NCAA 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 an ...

440 yard hurdles championship with a time of 49.6 seconds. Tying the NCAA and American records, the time was three-tenths of a second off the world record. A year later in Des Moines,

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 th ...

, Mann captured his second NCAA championship and set a new world-record time of 48.8 seconds for the 440 intermediate hurdles. During his collegiate career Ralph was NCAA champion three times. He was a three-time

All-America 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 ...

n, and in 1970 was second in the voting for the Sullivan Award. He competed in the 400 m hurdles at the 1972 Olympics and won the silver medal. Ralph was a five-time AAU champion. He received the AAU’s DiBenedetto Award for the single most outstanding career, most notably for his Olympic silver medal. In 2015, he was inducted into the USA

National Track and Field Hall of Fame The National Track and Field Hall of Fame is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field. It is located within the Armory Foundation (the former Fort Washington Avenue Armory) at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, ...

. Mann co-wrote the book ''Swing Like a Pro: The Breakthrough Scientific Method of Perfecting Your Golf Swing'' with Fred Griffin. This book was the culmination of Mann's expertise in the field of biomechanics and Griffin's experience of teaching golf as a PGA

Professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

.Ralph Mann, Fred Griffin, Guy Yocom (1998) ''Swing Like a Pro: The Breakthrough Scientific Method of Perfecting Your Golf Swing''. Broadway Books. Mann has two children, Amber and Randall, a poet and literary critic.

References

American male hurdlers Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games Living people 1949 births Brigham Young University alumni Washington State University alumni Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Track and field athletes from Long Beach, California Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub