Morrow, Bobby Joe
Track and Field
b. Oct. 15, 1935, Harlingen, TX
The fast-starting Morrow was almost unbeatable in the short sprints from 1955 through 1958. As a student at Abilene Christian, he won the 1955 AAU 100-yard dash championship and had thirty consecutive victories in the event until losing to Dave Sime at the 1956 Drake Relays.
Morrow won the AAU 100-meter and the NCAA 100- and 200-meter dashes in 1956. He also finished first in both events at the Olympic trials and, at the Melbourne Olympics, he became the first runner since Jesse Owens in 1936 to win gold medals in both short sprints and as a member of the 4 by 100-meter relay team that set a world record of 39.5 seconds. He tied the world 220-yard record of 20.6 seconds three times during the season.
In 1957, Morrow again won both NCAA short sprints. He tied the 100-yard dash record of 9.3 seconds three times that year and was the anchorman on the Abilene Christian 4 by 100-yard relay team that set a world record of 40.6 seconds. Morrow was given the Sullivan Award as the nation's outstanding amateur athlete of the year.
Morrow's last major victories came in the AAU short sprints in 1958. Injuries began to plague him after that and he retired after finishing fourth in 200-meter at the 1960 Olympic trials.
A devout Christian, Morrow dedicated himself to making the most of his God-given ability during his competitive years, getting eleven hours of sleep every night to preserve his strength. He felt that relaxation was the key to victory and once said, "Whatever success I have had is due to being so perfectly relaxed that I can feel my jaw muscles wiggle."