Steven Earl Riddick (born September 18, 1951) is an American
athlete
An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance.
Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-dev ...
and winner of the gold medal in
4×100 meter relay at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
.
Personal life
Riddick was raised in
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton () is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the 7th most populous city in Virginia and 204th most populous city in the nation. Hampton ...
. His father was a Church of Christ minister there.
["Feeling Fit To Hurt A Lot Of Feelings"](_blank)
Joe Marshall, Sports Illustrated, March 28, 1977.
Riddick was a late starter in track, concentrating on team sports until his junior year at high school.
After high school, Riddick attended at
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership.
History
The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 a ...
, having been recruited by coach
Dick Price
Richard Price (October 12, 1930 – November 25, 1985) was co-founder of the Esalen Institute in 1962 and a veteran of the Beat Generation. He ran Esalen in Big Sur for many years, sometimes virtually single-handed."Dick's life in the late 1960s ...
. There he met his wife Theresita Renee Coleman.
For the last year of his psychology degree course he ran for the Philadelphia Pioneers track club because his college eligibility had ended. It was a move engineered by Coach Price who put Riddick in contact with the Philadelphia Pioneers coach Alex Woodley.
After graduation in 1975, Riddick moved first to Washington D.C. and then Philadelphia and continued to run for the Philadelphia Pioneers club.
Track career
Riddick attempted to qualify for the
1972 Munich Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
but was eliminated at the semi-final stage in both the 100 and 200 m at the
United States Olympic Trials The United States Olympic Trials are competitions held in certain sports to select the United States' participants in those sports at the Olympic Games. These events include:
* United States Olympic Trials (curling)
* United States Olympic Trials (d ...
.
[The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field](_blank)
R Hymans, USA Track & Field, 2008
In 1975, in Zurich, he ran the fastest automatically timed 100 m of the year at 10.05 s, a time that remained his personal best.
He had started that year by causing some amazement and amusement when he ran and won an indoor race in his sweat pants. The reason: he had forgotten his shorts. He won the final in borrowed shorts.
At the
1976 Montreal Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
, Steven Riddick was eliminated in the semi-final of the 100 m race, but ran the anchor leg in the gold medal-winning American 4 × 100 m relay team (with
Harvey Glance
Harvey Edward Glance (born March 28, 1957) is a former American sprint runner. He won gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1976 Olympics, 1987 World Championships, and 1979 and 1987 Pan American Games.
Track and field career
Glance equaled t ...
,
Johnny 'Lam' Jones and
Millard Hampton). Riddick had finished third in the 100 m final at the United States Olympic Trials. He narrowly missed-out on doubling-up at 200 m at the Olympics by finishing fourth in the 200 final - he was narrowly passed in the closing stages by
Mark Lutz.
Riddick was a member of American 4 × 100 m relay team, which won the
1977 IAAF World Cup
The 1st IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held from 2 to 4 September 1977, at the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, West Germany.
Over ...
with a new
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizati ...
of 38.03 s (with
Cliff Wiley,
Bill Collins and
Steve Williams). He was also a member of American 4 × 100 m relay team, which won the
1979 Pan American Games
The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...
(with
Mike Roberson,
Harvey Glance
Harvey Edward Glance (born March 28, 1957) is a former American sprint runner. He won gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1976 Olympics, 1987 World Championships, and 1979 and 1987 Pan American Games.
Track and field career
Glance equaled t ...
and
Cliff Wiley) and placed second in
1979 IAAF World Cup The 2nd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on August 24–26, 1979, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Overall res ...
(with
Mike Roberson,
Harvey Glance
Harvey Edward Glance (born March 28, 1957) is a former American sprint runner. He won gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1976 Olympics, 1987 World Championships, and 1979 and 1987 Pan American Games.
Track and field career
Glance equaled t ...
and
Mel Lattany
Melvin Lattany (born August 10, 1959) is a former American track athlete. He was one of the world's dominating sprinters in the early 1980s.
Early years
Lattany attended Glynn Academy, where he was a standout sprinter in track. He also practiced ...
).
In 1978, he won the 100 m and anchored the United States 4 × 100 m relay team to victory in the USA versus USSR meet at the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Fran ...
's
Edwards Stadium
Edwards Stadium (also referred to as Edwards Field) is the track and field and soccer venue for the California Golden Bears, the athletic teams of the University of California, Berkeley.
This Art Deco-styled stadium was designed by architects Wa ...
, and so helping the United States to its first overall victory in the dual meet series since 1969.
Riddick attempted to qualify for the 100 m at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics but was eliminated at the quarter-final stage at the United States Olympic Trials.
Surprisingly, Riddick never achieved much success at the USA National Championships outdoors during his career - his best was fourth in the 100 m (in 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1979) and fifth in the 200 m (in 1977 and 1979)
[A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2003](_blank)
, Track and Field News. - he was, however, twice United States champion indoors at 60 y in 1977 and 1979. His indoor successes in 1977 led him to being voted
Track and Field News's indoor athlete of the year.
Riddick ran for his college
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership.
History
The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 a ...
until 1974 winning NCAA division titles.
He then joined the Philadelphia Pioneers track club. The Philadelphia Pioneer Educational Athletic Development Club, the proper name for the Philadelphia Pioneers, were the brainchild of Alexander J. Woodley. During the period 1977–1981, when Riddick was a member, they were the premier track club in the United States.
In 1980, Riddick was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame of The Lower Virginia Peninsula.
In 1997, Riddick was inducted into the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame.
Rankings
Riddick was ranked among the best in the US and the world in both the 100 and 200 m sprint events from 1973 to 1979, 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 is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runnin ...
''.
Coaching career
After his athletics career, Riddick was a coach at
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership.
History
The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 a ...
.
Riddick enjoyed some early success in the role, but his reputation was tarnished when he was embroiled in a scandal over the misappropriation of university travel funds for which he was sacked.
Money laundering and bank fraud scandal
In 2006, Riddick was indicted and arrested on fraud charges for his alleged involvement in a
money laundering
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdiction ...
scheme. His former student,
Tim Montgomery
Timothy Montgomery (born January 28, 1975) is an American former track sprinter who specialized in the 100-meter dash. In 2005, he was stripped of his records—including a now-void men's 100-meter world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002—a ...
, was also a defendant in the case and Montgomery's former girlfriend, 5-time Olympic medalist sprinter
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track and field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 ...
, was also found to have been involved in the operation.
In 2008, Riddick was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison for counterfeiting checks.
"The hard truth for Marion Jones is a 6-month term"
'' Virginia Pilot''. January 12, 2008.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddick, Steven
1951 births
Living people
American male sprinters
American people convicted of fraud
American sportspeople convicted of crimes
Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Hampton High School (Virginia) alumni
Medalists at the 1973 Summer Universiade
Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field
Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games
Norfolk State Spartans men's track and field athletes
Norfolk State Spartans track and field coaches
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
Universiade gold medalists for the United States
USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
Sportspeople from Newport News, Virginia
Track and field athletes from Virginia