Bob Hayes

Bob Hayes — Robert Lee Hayes, “Bullet Bob” — American sprinter and NFL wide receiver, the only athlete to win Olympic gold and a Super Bowl ring, died in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 18, 2002. He was fifty-nine. Born December 20, 1942, in Jacksonville, he starred at Florida A&M, then won the 100 meters and anchored the 4×100 relay to world-record gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics — raw speed that looked almost unfair in spikes. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him and turned track muscle into football terror. Defenses invented bump-and-run and zone schemes partly to contain a man who could outrun angles. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns, earned All-Pro honors, and caught a Super Bowl VI championship with Dallas before a late stop in San Francisco. The Pro Football Hall of Fame finally called in 2009; the Cowboys Ring of Honor had already claimed him. Life after sport was harder — addiction, illness, the long wait for Canton. Prostate cancer, kidney and heart trouble closed the race in his hometown. Teammates remembered a quiet man whose gift was velocity that rewrote playbooks. He died in Jacksonville on September 18, 2002. The dual medals — Olympic gold, Super Bowl ring — remain a unique American resume. Hayes’s gift was pure speed made useful — the rare talent that forced two sports to adapt. Notice Nearby keeps the death date so September 18 remembers the Jacksonville Bullet who owned both the track and the end zone.