Who won both a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal?

Who is the only person to win both a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal?

The only guy in history to win both an NFL Super Bowl championship and Olympic gold is Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes. October 15, 1964, was the start of the story. By the time the men’s 20-kilometer walk began, the American speedster had already won gold in the 100-meter event at the Tokyo Games by running on borrowed spikes in an inside lane. While doing so, he tied the world record of 10.06 seconds.

His gold medal in the Olympic 4×100-meter relay, which he won hours later, was even more memorable. When Hayes took over, the USA was in fifth place, less than two meters ahead of the rest of the competition. At the end, he was over three meters ahead of the field. His 100-meter hand time, which was between 8.5 and 8.9 seconds, is still the fastest relay leg in sports history. The team set a new world record with their performance of 39.06 seconds.

The New York Times referred to it as “perhaps the most memorable 100m in track and field history” following Hayes’ passing in 2002. France’s anchorwoman Jocelyn Delecour is said to have said to USA lead-off runner Paul Drayton, “You can’t win; all you have is Bob Hayes.” This is part of the Olympic legend. It is reported that Drayton responded, “That’s all we need, pal.”

Did Bob Hayes ever win a Super Bowl?

For track fans, that relay was unfortunately Hayes’ only Olympic race because, at age 21, he permanently switched to American football. The Jacksonville native, who was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft in December 1963, had effectively balanced the two sports while attending Florida A&M University. He signed with the Cowboys before the 1965 regular season began, and his raw speed in training camp left his new teammates speechless.

Frank Clarke, a fellow receiver, told ESPN in 2002 that he was so quick that it seemed like he was melting. “Scary,” thought Gil Brandt, who was then the Cowboys’ director of player personnel. “The speed he had was… well, frankly, it was beyond belief.”