Bob Hayes

High school

Matthew Gilbert High School

College

Florida A&M University

Pro team(s)

Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers

Hall of Fame

⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame

Robert Lee "Bob" Hayes was born on December 20, 1942, in Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Matthew Gilbert High School — Duval County's first accredited Black high school — before going on to Florida A&M University (FAMU), one of the nation's leading HBCUs. He was known simply as "the World's Fastest Human": at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.06 seconds to win the gold medal, and then ran the anchor leg of the 4×100 relay in a stunning 8.6-second split (some accounts say 8.9), anchoring the American team to a world record and a second gold medal. The Dallas Cowboys selected him in the 7th round of the 1964 NFL Draft, and Hayes transformed professional football in a way that only one or two players in the sport's history can claim to have done. His pure speed was so disruptive to defensive backs — who simply had no answer for it — that NFL defensive coordinators were forced to invent the zone coverage schemes that are now the foundation of every defense at every level of football. He was a three-time Pro Bowl receiver and a Super Bowl VI champion with the Cowboys. He is the only person in history to hold both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida.