Rodney "Rod" Milburn Jr. (May 18, 1950 – November 11, 1997) was an American

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

who won gold at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

in the 110 m

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...

. Milburn attended J. S. Clark High School in

Opelousas, Louisiana Opelousas (; ) is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 in Louisiana, Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 in Louisiana, U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a ju ...

Career

During the early 1970s, Milburn dominated the 110 m hurdles, tying or breaking the world record for the 110 m hurdles/120 yards five times. 120 yards is 109.73m, a difference of 27 cm with 110 m. This means for record purposes there is no conversion factor applied for hand-timing when converting between times recorded for the two distances.Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, pp. 117–119 & p 501. 1971, as a sophomore at

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It i ...

, was when Milburn announced himself on the national and world stage. Amongst his achievements that year was his first world record. In a semi-final of the USA Championships he broke the record for 120 y with 13.0 s.The world record was first set 13.2 s for 110 m hurdles by

Martin Lauer Karl Martin Lauer (; 2 January 1937 – 6 October 2019) was a West German sprinter who won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Biography Lauer was a German champion in 110 m hurdles from 1956 to 1960 and in de ...

in 1959. As discussed above, this time is equivalent to running 13.2 s for the 120 y hurdles. The record of 13.2 s was equalled 5 times in the intervening years, including by Erv Hall for 120 y in 1969. Milburn went on to win the title, in 13.1 s. Milburn was to remain undefeated in 1971, including winning the 110 m hurdles event at the 1971

Pan-American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. He also showed his versatility by winning a bronze as a member of the United States sprint relay team at the Pan-American Games.Rod Milburn
sports-reference.com. With these performances, Milburn earned the nickname "Hot Rod", and was awarded the Track and Field News Athlete of the Year Award. His home state, Louisiana, also recognised him by awarding him the James J. Corbett Award as the outstanding male athlete from the state in 1971. He was to receive the same award a second time in 1973. He was the 1973 NCAA Indoor Champion for 60 yard hurdles. The overwhelming favourite to qualify for the

1972 Munich Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

. Milburn in fact struggled but did qualify in 3rd place at the USA Olympic Trials. In the final he hit hurdles due to the pressure of the world-record holder

Willie Davenport William "Willie" D. Davenport (June 8, 1943 – June 17, 2002) was an American sprint runner. Biography He attended Howland High School and college at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Davenport took part in his ...

running alongside him and only managed to hold the vital third and last qualifying place by a foot. In

Milburn won the gold medal in the 110 m hurdles, tying the world record of 13.2 seconds, finishing ahead of

Guy Drut Guy Drut (born 6 December 1950) is an Olympic champion and politician who won gold at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal in the 110 m hurdles. In 1996, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Biography Sports career ...

and Thomas Hill. This time, which was recorded as 13.24 to the hundredth of a second, would become the first world record when only automatically recorded times would be ratified as world records.From January 1, 1977, only automatic timings were accepted as world records by the IAAF. In addition, the IAAF scrapped world records for all imperial distances except for the mile. Milburn's triumph was overshadowed by other events. The qualifying rounds for the 110 m hurdles event was delayed by the suspension of the games following the terrorist attack in the Olympic Village. The final itself was then overlooked due to the furor over the behaviour of the American 400 meter runners Vince Matthews and

Wayne Collett Wayne Curtis Collett (October 20, 1949 – March 17, 2010) was an African-American Olympic sprinter. Collett won a silver medal in the 400 m at the 1972 Summer Olympics. During the medal ceremony Collett and winner Vincent Matthews talked to eac ...

on the medal rostrum at their medal award ceremony. In 1973 Milburn continued to demonstrate he was the world's pre-eminent high-hurdler by breaking the world record for the 110 m hurdles with a 13.1 s, knocking 0.1 s off a record that had lasted for 14 years, and equalling his own world record for 120 y hurdles of 13.0 s. The record-breaking times in the 110 m hurdles happened on July 6 in Zurich, Switzerland and on July 22 in Sienna, Italy; the record-equalling time in the 120 y hurdles happened on June 20 in Eugene, Oregon. After this season, with no prospect of playing American football professionally and not able to endorse commercial products as an amateur athlete, Milburn joined the fledgling professional athletics tour run by the International Track Association (ITA). He was to remain unbeaten in their 1974 season. The ITA folded in 1976. By running as a professional, Milburn was ineligible to compete at the Olympics and defend his title. In 1975, Milburn tried briefly to become an American football player with the fledgling

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 in sports, 1974 and most of its second in 1975 in sports, 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a w ...

team the

Shreveport Steamer The Shreveport Steamer were a professional American football team in the World Football League. The franchise began the 1974 season in Houston, Texas, as the Houston Texans (no connection to the current NFL team of the same name), playing the ...

. His try out was unsuccessful. Milburn returned as a hurdler in 1980 in time for an attempt at an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

comeback. He won 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 ...

title 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 ...

but the

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent resistance, nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for Morality, moral, society, social, politics, political, or Environmenta ...

of the Olympics denied him that possibility of going to the Olympics. He did, however, run as an amateur for two seasons with some success against the new generation of high hurdlers. Sporting commentators note that Milburn was important in the history of hurdling for introducing two innovations: the double-armed lead (to reduce time in the air)Steve McGill (2005
Rod Milburn: The Double-Armed Man
hurdlesfirstbeta.com and the dime on the hurdle practice technique (knocking off dimes placed on the top of each hurdle without touching the actual hurdle).

Early life

Milburn turned to the hurdles under the tutelage of his high school coach Claude Paxton at J.S. Clark High School in

Opelousas Opelousas (; ) is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a junction here. According to the 2020 census, Opelousas has a population of 15,786, a 6 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. By his senior year, he was the outstanding high school hurdler in the United States and broke the national age record for the 120 y hurdles at 13.5 s. Acknowledgments of his achievements at high school included being voted on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-State track and field team in both his junior and senior years.Rodney Milburn
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Following high school, he went to

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, Louisiana, with an athletics scholarship. Here he met

, the 1968 110 m hurdles champion, who recognised his potential as a future Olympic champion and mentored the young athlete. He was coached at college by Dick Hill who had coached amongst others

Bob Hayes Robert Lee Hayes (December 20, 1942 – September 18, 2002), nicknamed "Bullet Bob", was an American sprinter and professional football player. After winning gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics, he played as a split end in the National F ...

the 1964 100 m Olympic champion.

Later life

Milburn finally retired from athletics in 1983. Milburn was appointed the head track coach at

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

in 1984 by his old college coach, Dick Hill. When Hill left Southern University in 1987, his replacement did not renew Milburn's contract.Mike Penner (November 16, 1997
"Milburns's Golden Age Ended Early"
''Los Angeles Times''. Milburn struggled after this and took a job as a utility crewman at a paper and pulp mill of the Georgia-Pacific Corporation in

Port Hudson, Louisiana Port Hudson is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is known primarily as the location of an American Civil War battle, the siege of Port Hudson, in 1863. ...

: it was while working at this plant that Milburn died after falling into a tank containing a

sodium chlorate Sodium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Na ClO3. It is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water. It is hygroscopic. It decomposes above 300 °C to release oxygen and leaves sodium chloride. Sever ...

solution. His death came as a huge shock to a

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

community that vividly remembered his achievements on the track. At his funeral, a message of condolence from

President Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the attor ...

and his wife, Hilary, was read.Rod Milburn
African American Registry. Retrieved February 9, 2013. For Milburn, it was a great misfortune that his best years came at a time when it was impossible for even an Olympic champion to earn a good living from track: by running professionally, he had made himself ineligible to defend his Olympic title in 1976, and was then denied a chance to run in the 1980 Olympics by the

1980 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 Summer ...

even when his eligibility for entry was reinstated. In the end, a court injunction allowing the former professional athletes to run at the Olympic Trials came too late for Milburn to compete. Milburn was honoured as one of Louisiana's top 50 athletes of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated. and in 1988 was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Rankings

Milburn was ranked among the best in the USA and the world in the 110 m hurdles, in two periods separated by his time on the professional athletics circuit, 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 ...

''.

USA Championships

Milburn was a very successful competitor at 110 m hurdles in the USA National Track and Field Championships during two periods between 1970 and 1981 separated by his time on the professional athletics circuit.: In addition, Milburn was four times United States champion indoors at 60 m/60 y hurdles – in 1972–73 and 1980–81. He also set world records indoors for 50 y hurdles in 5.8 s, the 55 m hurdles in 6.8 s, and the 60 y hurdles in 6.7 s."Record Night in Pokey"
''The Spokesman-Review'', February 25, 1974.

Notes

References

External links

* http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/134, Track and Field News Cover, II June 1971. * http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/special-articles/133, Track and Field News Cover, January 1972.
Rod Milburn
in the Hall of Fame of

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

*Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics. *"Rodney Milburn, The Quiet Champion", Steve McGill
www.hurdlesfirst.com Personal Stories
*http://rodneymilburn.com/usa_track__field, rodneymilburn.com, Milburn & Associates Entertainment Group. {{DEFAULTSORT:Milburn, Rod 1950 births 1997 deaths African-American track and field athletes American male hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics People from Opelousas, Louisiana Sportspeople from St. Landry Parish, Louisiana Track and field athletes from Louisiana Southern Jaguars track and field athletes World record setters in athletics (track and field) Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Accidental deaths in Louisiana Industrial accident deaths Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Track & Field News Athlete of the Year winners Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 20th-century African-American sportsmen NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners