William Ernest Green (May 10, 1961 – March 4, 2012) was an American sprinter. Green came on the scene at

Cubberley High School Ellwood P. Cubberley High School (1956–1979) known locally as "Cubberley", was one of three public high schools in Palo Alto, California. The site of the closed school is now named Cubberley Community Center and used as a community center and use ...

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was ...

. As a junior, he won the 1978

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 the 440 yard dash. The following year he won the 100 yard dash while leading Cubberley team to its only CCS title, just days before the high school was to close forever. While technically still a high schooler, a few weeks later he took third overall at the

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Olym ...

in 45.51, setting the National High School record in the

400 metres 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 ...

. The record lasted two years until it was surpassed in the same meet by Darrell Robinson. Three days later he found himself running in Europe with the big boys. That season culminated in him winning a gold medal with the United States

4x400 metres relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

team at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. Green then went to the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

. He still ranks #5 all time in the 400 metres and is tied for 10th in the 200 meters. He joined with James Sanford to be the core of the top relay teams of the 1980s. In 1980 Green won the United States Olympic Trials (while not winning a single preliminary race), to qualify for the Olympic team that never participated, due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet–Afghan War, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, a ...

. He did however receive one of 461

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 ...

s created especially for the spurned athletes.

References

External links

* 1961 births 2012 deaths American male sprinters Deaths from cancer in Washington (state) Track and field athletes from California Sportspeople from Pittsburgh Sportspeople from Palo Alto, California Congressional Gold Medal recipients {{US-sprint-athletics-bio-stub