Melvin Lattany (born August 10, 1959) is a former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

track athlete. He was one of the world's dominating

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace * Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automobiles *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, a rebadged v ...

ers in the early 1980s.

Early years

Lattany attended

Glynn Academy Glynn Academy (GA) is an American public high school in Brunswick, Georgia, Brunswick, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, enrolling 1,900 students in grades ninth grade, 9–twelfth grade, 12. Along with Brunswick High School (Georgia), ...

, where he was a standout sprinter in track. He also practiced football, where although he was primarily a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, he also played as a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

, cornerback, punt returner, kickoff returner and was the backup

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

. He accepted a track scholarship from the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

, where he established a new Men's World Junior Record over 100 metres on July 30, 1978. Lattany qualified for the 1980 US Olympic team as a

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 contested at ...

sprinter and a member of the

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track and field, track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap, totaling 1600 meters. It is traditionally the final event of ...

team, but was unable to compete due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history and one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summ ...

. He did however receive one of 461

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

s awarded to those athletes affected by the boycott. Lattany was a three-times winner at the British

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

, winning the 100 at the

1981 AAA Championships The 1981 AAA Championships sponsored by Nationwide Building Society, Nationwide was the 1981 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 7 to 8 August 1981 at t ...

and the 200 at the

1980 AAA Championships The 1980 AAA Championships sponsored by Nationwide was the 1980 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 5 to 6 September 1980 at the Crystal Palace Nationa ...

and 1983 AAA Championships. He won a gold medal in the

at the

1981 Summer Universiade The 1981 Summer Universiade, also known as the XI Summer Universiade, took place in Bucharest, Romania. The events were watched by 200,000 spectators. Sports * * * * * * * * * * Medal table External links Universiada 81-TVR {{FISU ...

, and in the

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 slight ...

at the

1981 IAAF World Cup The 3rd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 4–6, 1981, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. Overall results ...

, with a 20.21 seconds finish. On May 5, 1984, Lattany became the fifth man (third at sea level and fourth man from USA) to break the

10-second barrier The 10-second barrier is the physical and psychological barrier of completing the 100 metres sprint in under ten seconds. The achievement is traditionally regarded as the hallmark of a world-class male sprinter. Its significance has become less ...

when he clocked 9.96 seconds in Athens, Georgia.

Professional career

Lattany retired from track in 1985 and signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

on June 20, looking to become an

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

as a 25-year-old rookie. At the time, he ran the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

in 4.29 seconds. He was released on August 19. In 1987, he was reinstated by the

International Amateur Athletics Federation World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, covering ...

to run track again.

Accolades and awards

In 2009, Lattany was honored as one of the 20 Athletes of the Century at the

Drake Relays The Drake Relays is an outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa, in Drake Stadium (Drake University), Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University. Billed as ''America's Athletic Classic'', it is regarded as one ...

(he was never beaten in the 100 m, finals and preliminary races, in the four years he competed there, 1978 to 1981; in addition being named outstanding performer in 1981). In 2013, Lattany was inducted into the Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame.

Rankings

Lattany was ranked among the best in the US and the world in both the 100 and 200 m sprint events from 1979 to 1984, according to the votes of the experts of ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includ ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lattany, Mel 1959 births Living people Sportspeople from Brunswick, Georgia Track and field athletes from Georgia (U.S. state) American male sprinters Georgia Bulldogs men's track and field athletes University of Georgia alumni Congressional Gold Medal recipients Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1981 Summer Universiade 20th-century American sportsmen