Hayes, "Bob" (Robert L.)
Football, Track and Field
b. Dec. 20, 1942, Jacksonville, FL
d. Sept. 18, 2002
"World's Fastest Human" is the label that has long been attached to whoever happened to be the best sprinter in the world at the moment. Hayes may have had more right to the title than anyone. Though not a great starter, Hayes was the first to run better than 6.0 seconds in the 60-yard dash, where the start is usually all-important, and he was the first to run 9.1 seconds in the 100-yard dash.
In 1963, he tied the world record of 20.6 seconds in the 220-yard dash, running against an 8-mph wind. But his sheer speed was probably best displayed in relays, where he got a running start. As the anchor man for the United States in the 1964 Olympic 4 by 100-meter relay, he took the baton 4 meters behind and won by 3 meters; the team set a world record of 39.0 seconds. His leg was estimated at 8.6 seconds for 100 meters and 7.7 seconds for the 100-yard portion.
Hayes also won the gold medal in the 100-meter dash in 1964. He was the AAU 100-yard champion 1962-64 and, running for Florida A & M, he won the NCAA 200-meter dash in 1964.
After the Olympics, Hayes joined the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL as a wide receiver. In eleven seasons with the Cowboys, he caught 371 passes for 7,414 yards, an average of 20.0 per catch, and 71 touchdowns. He returned 104 punts for 1,158 yards, an 11.1 average, and 3 touchdowns, and had 23 kickoff returns for 581 yards, a 25.3 average.
In April of 1979, Hayes pled guilty to selling narcotics to an undercover police officer and served 10 months in prison. He wrote in his autobiography, "That destroyed my life." It may well have kept him from being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.