The World's Fastest Man

Bob Hayes finally, finally, finally was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame. It is a shame he's not here to enjoy it.

Only us old guys remember him. First he changed track and field forever. Then he changed the game of football.

Here is a link to my clearest memory of Bob Hayes. It's a horrible print. You can ignore the last couple of minutes, which is a retrospective of the 1964 Olympics. Hayes had already tied the world record in winning gold in the 100 meters in 10 flat. But this was the race which has been burned into my brain for 45 years: the 4x100. Hayes ran the anchor. Check it out.

Secretariat at the Belmont. They say it was the fastest 100 ever. I'm convinced the phrase "The World's Fastest Man" was invented for him based on this race.

Ralph Wiley wrote this post on ESPN.com after he died in 2002. It does justice in a way I can't. He's a real writer, I'm just a fan. Here's a sample, about that magical day in Tokyo:

"The Bullet Man was behind five relay teams when he got the baton on the anchor leg of the 4 x 100-meter relay final in Tokyo. He made up nine meters on the field. Nine meters! He ran his leg in 8.6. That's not running. That's teleportation. That's Star Trek."

As a football player, zone defenses were introduced to try to stop him. Like the 3 second rule introduced to stop Wilt underneath, the league had to find something to slow him down.

Here is Wiley again:

"For his career, he averaged a neat 20.0 yards per touch, including punt returns, including seasons of playing with leg injuries. One year, 1970, he averaged 26.1 yards per catch. The next year, he averaged 24.0 per catch. That's a quarter of the length of the field, every time he touched it.

That, my friends, is the full-blown Wrath of God, in cleats.

Why, numbers can't begin to describe the fear he put in the NFL .

Like pitchers fear Barry Bonds today, defenses feared Bob Hayes then. Then knew they couldn't handle him one-on-one, not unless they were on a motorcycle, or in a jet pack. Even today, a former Cowboys receiver like (Pete) Gent, who watched him in the passing line, in practice, and in games, says nobody was like Bob Hayes."

Bruce Jenkins says you can ignore stats and just look a player and know he's a HOFer. Bob Hayes' stats were pretty good, but who cares? All you had to do was see him play. Staubach to Hayes. Special.

Hall of Fame. Finally. One of my few sports heroes.