Bob hayes biography

Hayes grew up in the ghetto on the east side of Jacksonville, Florida, the youngest of three children of a poor African-American family. His family's poverty increased when his father returned from World War II in a wheelchair, as their main source of income became his father's disability pension. Hayes, who spent much of his childhood skipping school and roaming the streets with friends, escaped much of his father's military-style discipline and once recalled, "Being the youngest in the family I kinda got everything I wanted.

One of the fastest runners of all time, Hayes, known as "Bullet" to his fans, began sprinting at age sixteen. He was more interested in football at the time, but when the track coach saw him running in gym class, wearing ordinary street shoes and outstripping everyone in the class, he convinced him to join the track team.

Bob hayes position

At his first meet, Hayes entered seven events—the , , , and yards, as well as the sprint relay, long jump, and high jump. He won them all. His friends, seeing an opportunity to cash in, began setting him up to race against the older boys in the school and taking bets on the action. It was a sure thing: he always won. However, he did not stay on the football field long.

Track coach Robert Pete Griffin became a mentor and father figure to the young runner and helped him improve his speed on the track. They worked together, and Hayes steadily improved. In Hayes repaid Griffin's interest when he became the thirteenth person to tie the then world record, set by Mel Patton, of 9. In that same season, he was only a tenth of a second behind the world record for the straight yard run, with a time of Strongly built and a "power runner," Hayes was described as looking more like a boxer than a sprinter.

One sportswriter commented, "When he ran, he seemed to roll from side to side as he pawed his way down the track. Still, no matter what his appearance or style, it clearly worked for him.