Ralph Mann

American sprinter and hurdler
Ralph Mann
Personal information
Birth nameRalph Vernon Mann
Born (1949-06-16) June 16, 1949 (age 74)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Height193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight86 kg (190 lb)
Sport
SportTrack and field / Athletics
Event(s)Sprint, hurdles
University teamBrigham Young University Cougars
ClubSouthern California Striders
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)440 y – 46.6 (1970)
120 yH – 13.9 (1968)
400 mH – 48.51 (1972)
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 400 m hurdles
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1971 Cali 400 m hurdles

Ralph Vernon Mann (born June 16, 1949) is a retired American sprinter and hurdler. He was an undergraduate at Brigham Young University, and later earned a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from Washington State University.[1]

In 1969, Mann won his first NCAA 440 yard hurdles championship with a time of 49.6 seconds. Tying the NCAA and American records, the time was three-tenths of a second off the world record. A year later in Des Moines, Iowa, Mann captured his second NCAA championship and set a new world-record time of 48.8 seconds for the 440 intermediate hurdles. During his collegiate career Ralph was NCAA champion three times. He was a three-time All-American, and in 1970 was second in the voting for the Sullivan Award.

He competed in the 400 m hurdles at the 1972 Olympics and won the silver medal.[2] Ralph was a five-time AAU champion. He received the AAU’s DiBenedetto Award for the single most outstanding career, most notably for his Olympic silver medal. In 2015, he was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[3]

Mann co-wrote the book Swing Like a Pro: The Breakthrough Scientific Method of Perfecting Your Golf Swing with Fred Griffin. This book was the culmination of Mann's expertise in the field of biomechanics and Griffin's experience of teaching golf as a PGA Professional.[4] Mann has two children, Amber and Randall, a poet and literary critic.

References

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ralph Mann". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
  2. ^ "Ralph Mann". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on 2007-02-08.
  3. ^ "National Track & Field Hall of Fame". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  4. ^ Ralph Mann, Fred Griffin, Guy Yocom (1998) Swing Like a Pro: The Breakthrough Scientific Method of Perfecting Your Golf Swing. Broadway Books. ISBN 076790236X


Sporting positions
Preceded by
Unknown
Men's 400m Hurdles Best Year Performance
1971
Succeeded by


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1914–1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980–1992
The Athletics Congress
1993–present
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • 440 yd hurdles 1914–27, 1929–31, 1953–55, 1957–58, 1961–63, 1965–67, 1969–71 and 1973; 400 m hurdles otherwise.
  • The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Qualification
  • 1972 United States Olympic trials (track and field)
Men's
track and road
athletes
Men's
field athletes
Women's
track athletes
Women's
field athletes
Coaches
  • Bill Bowerman (men's head coach)
  • Ted Haydon (men's assistant coach)
  • Hoover Wright (men's assistant coach)
  • Stan Wright (men's assistant coach)
  • Nell Jackson (women's head coach)
  • Randall Lambert (women's assistant coach)
  • Ron Sorkness (women's assistant coach)
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • ISNI
  • VIAF
National
  • United States
People
  • World Athletics


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