Leroy Burrell
Encyclopedia
Leroy Russel Burrell is a former American athlete who twice set the world record
for the 100 meters
sprint
, setting a time of 9.90 seconds in June 1991. This was broken by Carl Lewis
in September at the World Track and Field Championships. In that race, Burrell came in second, yet he beat his own record. Burrell set the record for a second time when he ran 9.85 s in 1994, a record that stood until the 1996 Olympics
in Atlanta, when Donovan Bailey
ran 9.84 s.
Burrell grew up in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
and attended Penn Wood High School where he single handedly won the state championship by winning the 100m, 200m, Long Jump, and Triple Jump. Suffering from poor eyesight accentuated by a childhood eye injury, he was poor at other sports but excelled on the track from an early age.
, where he was a successful participant in its track program. In 1985-86, he broke Houston's freshman long jump record that was held by Carl Lewis, when he leaped 26'9" at a dual meet against UCLA in 1986. Later that season, he faced one of the most challenging moments of his track career.
After jumping 26' 7.25" in the preliminaries of the 1986 Southwest Conference Outdoor Championships, Burrell jumped almost 27 feet before landing awkwardly on his third jump. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He finished second at the meet, but many people feared the injury could be career ending.
In 1988, he returned to the SWC Championships, where he finished second in the 100 meters and in third-place in the long jump. At the NCAA Championships, Burrell earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 100 meters and a seventh-place showing in the long jump.
The next year, he won the NCAA Indoor Long Jump Championship with a leap of 26' 5.50". At the NCAA Outdoor meet, he set the NCAA outdoor meet record with a personal best jump of 27' 5.50". But, Ohio State's Joe Greene
recorded a wind-aided mark of 27' 7.25" to win the event, and left Burrell with a record-setting second-place finish.
in Seattle. He won the silver in the 100 m behind Lewis at the 1991 World Championships
, and at the 1992 Summer Olympics
was false-started in the 100 m final and, when the race finally restarted, his reaction off the line was slow and finished fifth. He did though manage to win a relay
gold as part of the US team at Barcelona
.
Since his retirement
in 1998, Burrell has replaced his old college mentor, Tom Tellez, as coach of the University of Houston's track team. Burrell has led UH to 14 men’s Conference USA
titles (nine indoor, five outdoor) and nine women’s titles (four indoor, five outdoor).
, also a sprinter, in 1994, and they have three sons Cameron—who is currently one of the fastest sprinters in his age group worldwide—, Joshua and Jaden. His younger sister Dawn
also competed in track and field on the highest level.
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for the 100 meters
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
, setting a time of 9.90 seconds in June 1991. This was broken by Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...
in September at the World Track and Field Championships. In that race, Burrell came in second, yet he beat his own record. Burrell set the record for a second time when he ran 9.85 s in 1994, a record that stood until the 1996 Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, when Donovan Bailey
Donovan Bailey
Donovan Bailey is a retired Canadian sprinter, who once held the world record for the 100 metres race following his gold medal performance in the 1996 Olympic Games. He was the first Canadian to legally break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m...
ran 9.84 s.
Burrell grew up in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
Lansdowne is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States located southwest of downtown Philadelphia. It was named for the Marquess of Lansdowne. The borough grew quickly in the early part of the twentieth century when a railroad stop was established near the intersection of...
and attended Penn Wood High School where he single handedly won the state championship by winning the 100m, 200m, Long Jump, and Triple Jump. Suffering from poor eyesight accentuated by a childhood eye injury, he was poor at other sports but excelled on the track from an early age.
College career
He studied at the University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, where he was a successful participant in its track program. In 1985-86, he broke Houston's freshman long jump record that was held by Carl Lewis, when he leaped 26'9" at a dual meet against UCLA in 1986. Later that season, he faced one of the most challenging moments of his track career.
After jumping 26' 7.25" in the preliminaries of the 1986 Southwest Conference Outdoor Championships, Burrell jumped almost 27 feet before landing awkwardly on his third jump. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He finished second at the meet, but many people feared the injury could be career ending.
In 1988, he returned to the SWC Championships, where he finished second in the 100 meters and in third-place in the long jump. At the NCAA Championships, Burrell earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 100 meters and a seventh-place showing in the long jump.
The next year, he won the NCAA Indoor Long Jump Championship with a leap of 26' 5.50". At the NCAA Outdoor meet, he set the NCAA outdoor meet record with a personal best jump of 27' 5.50". But, Ohio State's Joe Greene
Joe Greene (athlete)
Joe Greene was an American athlete who competed mainly in the Long Jump....
recorded a wind-aided mark of 27' 7.25" to win the event, and left Burrell with a record-setting second-place finish.
Professional career
Burrell was plagued by injuries and bad luck throughout his career, particularly around major championships. He won gold in the 100 m ahead of Carl Lewis at 1990 Goodwill GamesGoodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in Seattle. He won the silver in the 100 m behind Lewis at the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Championships in Athletics
The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1 and athletes from 167 countries participated in the event.The event is best-remembered for the...
, and at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
was false-started in the 100 m final and, when the race finally restarted, his reaction off the line was slow and finished fifth. He did though manage to win a relay
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
gold as part of the US team at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
Since his retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
in 1998, Burrell has replaced his old college mentor, Tom Tellez, as coach of the University of Houston's track team. Burrell has led UH to 14 men’s Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
titles (nine indoor, five outdoor) and nine women’s titles (four indoor, five outdoor).
Personal life
He married Michelle FinnMichelle Finn
Michelle Finn is an American former sprint athlete from Orlando, Florida. She graduated from Oak Ridge High School in Orlando. She set the Florida State University record for the 100 meters which has lasted over 18 years into the 2006 season. She won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics as...
, also a sprinter, in 1994, and they have three sons Cameron—who is currently one of the fastest sprinters in his age group worldwide—, Joshua and Jaden. His younger sister Dawn
Dawn Burrell
Dawn C. Burrell-Campbell is a retired long jumper from the United States, who is best known for winning the gold medal at the 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships.. BBC Sport . Retrieved on 2011-01-05. She represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics...
also competed in track and field on the highest level.
Personal bests
| Date | Event | Venue | Best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 13, 1991 | 60 meters 60 metres 60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes... |
Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
6.48 s |
| July 6, 1994 | 100 meters 100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896... |
Lausanne Lausanne Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
9.85 s |
| June 27, 1992 | 200 meters 200 metres A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first... |
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
20.12 s |
| June 2, 1989 | Long jump Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point... |
Provo, Utah Provo, Utah Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
8.37 m |
- All information from IAAF Profile