Reynolds, "Butch" (Henry)
Track and Field
b. June 8, 1964, Akron, OH
As a junior at Ohio State in 1987, Reynolds won the 400-meter run at the NCAA and TAC championships and was third in the world championships. On August 16, 1988, Reynolds ran a world record 43.29 seconds at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland.
The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) suspended Reynolds indefinitely after he allegedly tested positive for steroid use in 1990. Reynolds brought suit and the U. S. Supreme Court in 1992 ordered the U. S. Olympic Committee to allow him to run in the Olympic trials at New Orleans.
The IAAF threatened to suspend any other runners who competed against Reynolds, and the 400-meter heats were postponed for four days until the IAAF backed down. Reynolds ran three strong heats but was exhausted by the time he reached the finals, where he finished fifth.
Reynolds also won a separate civil suit against the IAAF for $27.3 million in damages, awarded in the fall of 1992. In an unprecedented move, a federal court seized $700,000 that a sponsor owed the IAAF and put it in escrow for Reynolds, pending appeals. The award was voided in 1994.
At the 1993 world championships, Reynolds finished second to teammate Michael Johnson in the 400-meter but ran on the winning 4 by 400-meter relay team that set a world record of 2:54.29. IAAF President Primo Nebiolo not only gave Reynolds his gold medal, he kissed both of his cheeks. "I was speechless and very touched," Reynolds said afterward.
Reynolds again finished second at the 1995 world championships and ran the third leg on the U. S. team that won gold in the relay. After placing second at the 1996 U. S. trials, he couldn't finish his semi-final heat at the Olympics because of a leg injury.
After finishing sixth at the 1997 U. S. outdoor championships, Reynolds missed all of the 1998 season with an injury. He retired after failing to run better than 45.13 in 1999.