Renaldo Nehemiah
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | March 24, 1959|||||||||||||||||
American football career |
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No. 83 | ||||||||||||||||||
Position: | Wide receiver | |||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||
Weight: | 181 lb (82 kg) | |||||||||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||||||||
High school: | Scotch Plains (NJ) Fanwood | |||||||||||||||||
College: | Maryland | |||||||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 1982 | |||||||||||||||||
Career history | ||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | ||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Sprint, hurdles | |||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | 100 m – 10.24 (1979) 200 m – 20.37 (1979) 110 mH – 12.93 (1981)[1][2] | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Renaldo Nehemiah (born March 24, 1959) is a retired American
Track and field career
Nehemiah was nicknamed "Skeets" as a baby because he crawled along the floor so fast.
Nehemiah's sophomore year at Maryland proved to be his breakout year. He broke the world record in the 110 meter hurdles twice in two weeks, running 13.16 and then 13.00. He won the
So, I just ran harder and harder as the noise [of the crowd] got louder. And before I knew it, I could see (Villanova's) Tim Dale and the finish line about 20 meters in front of me. As I was really starting to be overwhelmed by the pain, I dug one more time with all I had, and surged past a fading Dale and believe I won by a couple of meters. [Afterwards] ... I told myself that I would not ever feel that type of pain again in my life. And I never ran another 400-meter again.
— Renaldo Nehemiah[11]
The prohibitive favorite to win the 110-meter hurdles in the 1980 Summer Olympics, he was unable to compete due to a 65-nation boycott of the Games. Nehemiah received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created for the athletes.[12] At the 1981 Weltklasse meeting in Zürich, Switzerland, Nehemiah broke the world record for the 110 meter hurdles and became the first person to ever run the race in less than 13 seconds. In an interview, Nehemiah explained his race as less than ideal:
I was way out of control over the first hurdle. Then I floated over the second hurdle, and
Greg [Foster] caught me going into the third hurdle. From there, I just ran as fast as I could. It was just one of those things where I was just determined to win. I knew that if I could stay out in front, I could make him make a mistake. He's six-foot-three, so if I'm getting crowded between hurdles, I know he's getting crowded trying to chase me. For the first three hurdles I had too much adrenaline; I couldn't control it, so I had to slow myself down. I knew that, technically, I was a better hurdler, faster between and over the hurdles. That's probably what got me ahead of him. It's a different race when you're chasing someone than when you're being chased.— Renaldo Nehemiah[6]
No. | Event | Time | Date | Year | Place |
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1. | 50 m H | 6.36 | Feb 3 | 1979 | Edmonton |
2. | 55 m H | 6.89 | Jan 20 | 1979 | New York |
3. | 110 m H | 13.16 | Apr 14 | 1979 | San Jose[1] |
4. | 110 m H | 13.00 | May 6 | 1979 | Westwood[1] |
5. | 50 yd H | 5.98 | Feb 13 | 1981 | Toronto |
6. | 110 m H | 12.93 | Aug 19 | 1981 | Zurich[1] |
7. | 50 yd H | 5.92 | Jan 29 | 1982 | Toronto |
8. | 60 yd H | 6.82 | Jan 30 | 1982 | Dallas |
If he had concentrated on athletics he would have matched Harrison Dillard's achievement (double gold in the 100m and 110m hurdles). He clearly could have run under 9.9 in the 100.
— Pat Connolly[13]
She also believed he may have been better suited for the 400 m hurdle event. She is on record as saying:
Based on a 300m I timed in practice, I believe he would still hold the world record in that event (400m hurdles), had he given it a serious try.
— Pat Connolly[13]
Football career
Despite never playing football in college,
The Superstars
Nehemiah was the only four-time winner of The
Management
He is currently involved with Athletics Managers, a sports management and marketing agency. Clients he has represented have included Allen Johnson, Mark Crear, Justin Gatlin, Sha'Carri Richardson[15] and 2012 400 meter Olympic Gold Medalist Kirani James.
References
- ^ a b c d e Renaldo Nehemiah. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ Renaldo Nehemiah. IAAF
- ^ Pawlyna, Andrea (July 2, 1979). "Skeets Nehemiah Knows All About Life's Obstacles: He's the World Champ at Hurdling Over Them". People. Vol. 12, no. 1.
- ^ Oden, Bev (September 28, 1998). "Renaldo Nehemiah, Would-be Football Star April 26, 1982".
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Nehemiah Wins One". The New York Times. November 10, 1982. p. B8.
- ^ a b c "Renaldo Nehemiah: Master of the Art Form", Black Athlete Sports Network, February 8, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "T&FN High School Boys Athletes Of The Year, 1947–2019". Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ "The greatest hurdler who ever lived turns 57 today".
In 1977, Nehemiah became National Junior Champion in the 110 and 300 yard hurdle events and was named "High School Athlete of the Year" by Track & Field News.
- ^ "Renaldo Nehemiah". National High School Track and Field Hall of Fame.
- ^ a b Amdur, Neil. "Scotch Plains Hero —Renaldo Nehemiah". p. 404.
- ^ Murphy, Walt (June 2, 2003) "Memories from Penn". Eastern Track News and Results Service. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0942257403.
- ^ a b "Pat Connolly: on Evelyn, Coaching, and athletics today" by Jonathan Mulkeen, Athletics Weekly website editor, March 2005, Accessed March 1, 2012,
- ^ Mihoces, Gary (April 20, 2005). "NFL seeks best players on the court or mat". USA Today. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ "Sprinter Richardson left off relay list for Olympics". ESPN.com. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference