Dennis Anthony Blake (born 6 September 1970 in

Saint Elizabeth Parish Saint Elizabeth(), one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the widest on the island. History Saint Elizab ...

) is a retired male sprinter from

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. He is a two-time Olympian, winning the bronze medal at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta, Georgia, where he ran in the qualifying heats.

Career

Blake was awarded a two-year scholarship to attend Blinn Junior College, in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Having gained recognition for his athletic performances, he was awarded thirty-nine athletic scholarships to attend universities throughout the United States, including

Alabama A&M University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M or AAMU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. It was one of about 180 " normal s ...

, his alma mater. During his track & field career at Alabama A&M University (AAMU), Blake was the recipient of numerous awards and recognition. The nine-time All-American was selected as the "Most Valuable Player" at the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black col ...

(SIAC) championship winning the Abbott Award. Blake competed in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

in Barcelona, Spain where he was the official Jamaica flag bearer. Blake also claimed a silver medal at the

1995 Pan American Games The 1995 Pan American Games, officially known as the XII Pan American Games () and commonly known as Mar del Plata 1995, were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from 12 to 26 March 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games' first retur ...

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

, Argentina in the men's 4x400 metres relay, alongside Orville Taylor, Roxbert Martin, and Michael McDonald. Blake set his personal best in the men's 400 metres (45.68) on 2000-06-18 in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

. In 1996, under the tutelage of AAMU track and field program coach, Walter Tullis, Blake represented

at the

in Atlanta, Georgia and won a bronze medal.

Results

Recognition

* In 2006, he was inducted into the

Athletics Hall of Fame * City of Huntsville, Alabama – Resolution No. 96-791 * Resolution of the Madison County Commission

References

*
1970 births Living people Sportspeople from Saint Elizabeth Parish Jamaican male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Jamaica Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for Jamaica Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Jamaica Pan American Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games silver medalists for Jamaica Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Jamaican Athletics Championships winners Alabama A&M Bulldogs track and field athletes 20th-century Jamaican sportsmen Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics {{jamaica-athletics-bio-stub