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Butch Reynolds (400M Olympian, former OSU coach)

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Giving back with a passion
DON HALL MEMORIAL WEEKEND
By John Montgomery, Sports Writer
POSTED: July 12, 2008

Butch Reynolds has traveled the globe and set world records, but he'd never heard of the late Don Hall until a month ago. Still, he wasn't too surprised to learn he shared a similar outlook with one of the founders of Tiffin Little League Football.

"It's about giving back. I've been blessed to be the fastest man in the world, to see the world and the experience that came with that," said Reynolds, who started the Care for Kids Foundation in his hometown of Akron in 1995.

"If I can help just one kid - which I know I have - and keep them on the right track, it means a lot; it makes you feel good; it makes you feel worthy of the things I've been blessed to have," he said.

Hall helped start Tiffin Little League Football in 1973 so youth could play organized football without having to worry about paying for it. Providing a positive, free activity for youth is something Reynolds said he can applaud and understand.

"As far as the kids not paying, that's very important. A lot of kids I deal with, they can't pay," he said. "Those kids don't have to pay for athletics; the obesity rate's so high now, I'm all for it. I'll do anything I can to help them."
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The Ohio State University graduate set the world record in the 400 meters Aug. 17, 1988, in a meet in Stutgart, Germany, before heading to the first of three straight Olympics.

He said everyone - himself included - expected him to win the race at the Olympics, and he looked well on his way topping the field in all three heats leading up to the finals.

Reynolds said he felt good at the start of the finals and as the race progressed, but was surprised to find himself sixth with 150 meters to go. He surged from there, picking off other runners until he crossed the line second as part of 1-2-3 American finish.

"I ran out of track," Reynolds said.

"I won my silver medal. Believe me, I was very happy and very excited," he said. "I was very excited, I was very happy, but that was not what I came to get."

He said he wanted to leave the track area and pout a little bit without people seeing, but he and the other two American medalists took a victory lap around the stadium - with Reynolds eyeing his teammate's gold medal the whole way.

Reynolds said that quickly taught him a very important lesson in life that he shares with others today.

"No matter what the situation is, always do your best. No matter where you're at, no matter what you're doing, do your best," he said.
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Giving back with a passion - The Advertiser-Tribune
 
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CPD

Former Olympic gold medalist Butch Reynolds might work with entire Ohio State athletic department

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter

Columbus- Butch Reynolds is preparing to blaze a trail back to the Buckeyes. Five months after resigning as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Ohio State, the former Olympic gold medalist from Akron said Monday that he is talking with Athletic Di rector Gene Smith about returning to OSU as a speed coach working with the entire ath letic depart ment.
He'd be wel comed by his football students, who miss his smile as much as his speed.
"I think anybody on this team would go to Butch and just talk to him. He made everyone laugh," senior safety Jamario O'Neal said. "When we were in the weight room, he could be singing a song and not know one word. That's what we love about Butch. He is definitely missed around here."

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"Sometimes you have to find your niche," Reynolds, 44, said. "I can do the speed and you don't need me to do anything else. But I can mentor even better now. I'm coming back to continue what I started there."
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Butch regains his world record in the 4x400 relay after Antonio Pettigrew's recent doping confession.

iaaf.org - IAAF Council cancels 4x400m World record

Tuesday, 12 August 2008

IAAF Council cancels 4x400m World record

Beijing, China - Following the recent confession of Antonio Pettigrew, who has admitted to using human growth hormone and EPO between 1997 and 2003, the IAAF Council, today decided to cancel the current World Record for Men?s 4x400m, set by a US team including Pettigrew, with immediate effect.

This means that the world record for Men's 4x400m will now be 2:54.29, set by the USA team during the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart.

Men's 4x400m World Record
Former Record
2:54.20 United States 1 Uniondale 22/07/1998
(Jerome Young, Antonio Pettigrew, Tyree Washington, Michael Johnson)

New Record
2:54.29 United States 1 Stuttgart 22/08/1993
(Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Harry Reynolds, Michael Johnson)

Continued...
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Reynolds to speak at Westbrook CC
Former world-record sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Butch Reynolds will be the guest speaker for the annual University Club at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Westbrook Country Club.
Reynolds spent three years as the speed coach for the Ohio State football team before his resignation in April. He was an All-American track star for the Buckeyes, and went on to set the world record in the 400-meter dash in 1988 and win Olympic gold in the 4 x 400 relay that year in the Seoul Games.
Reynolds is currently working on several business projects and running the Butch Reynolds Care for Kids Foundation.
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OSU football: Former Olympic gold medalist has quick answers for Buckeyes



By JON SPENCER ? News Journal ? September 18, 2008

MANSFIELD -- Butch Reynolds knows speed when he sees it. All he has to do is dig out the tape from 1988 and watch himself setting a world record in the 400 meter dash.
Or winning an Olympic gold medal in the 4 x 400 meter relay.
By comparison, Ohio State must've looked like it was moving in slow motion during Saturday's carnage in California. Except that Reynolds, who spent the past three years as a strength and conditioning coach for OSU, is not convinced speed was behind the severe case of whiplash the Buckeyes suffered in their 35-3 loss to No. 1-ranked USC.
"It's not so much about being a step slow, it's about how many As, Bs and Cs do you have on your team?" said Reynolds before addressing the University Club at Westbrook Country Club on Wednesday night. "It's easy to teach a special player speed. A special player has what we call 'it,' and if you have 'it,' it's a lot easier. But when an A gets hurt, how many As do you have coming in? The depth (of talent) at a place like USC ... it's pretty deep."
The Buckeyes were without star tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells, sidelined by a foot injury, against the Trojans. Then they lost fifth-year guard Steve Rehring, also because of foot woes. Without two major cogs, Ohio State rushed for only 71 yards on 34 carries and was overwhelmed in the trenches.

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What ever happened to Butch Reynolds.

Four years ago Jim Tressel and Ohio State introduced us to Butch Reynolds. He was noted for his Olympic Track and Field feats back in the 80's as well as being a graduate of Ohio State. He did wonders for a number of Buckeye players in regards to building thier speed and strength conditioning skills in running and receiving. Now I understand he is no longer with Ohio State and i don't know why. I was under the impression that he was happy in his position and with Jim Tressel. Can anyone come forth and tell us what has happened and Why? It reminds me of what happened between Tressel and Bill Conley. What a sad thing that was huh ?
 
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CPD

A lightning Bolt could strike thrice

Thursday, August 20, 2009 Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist

No man has ever held the world record in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, but Ja maica's Usain Bolt already owns the first two. Butch Reynolds, the Akron Hoban and Ohio State sprinter who redefined the 400 a generation ago, says the lightning will strike in the quarter-mile, too.
"If he's serious about stepping up to the 400, he cannot only break the record, he can break 43 seconds. He can run 42.90," said Reynolds, a silver medalist at the 1988 Olympics and the one-lap world record-holder for 11 years until Michael Johnson set the current standard of 43.18 in 1999.
Bolt's records should be written in pencil. His 9.58 in the 100 at the World Championships on Sunday in Berlin was an unreal 0.11 second improvement on his Beijing Olympics world record. Today, the debate rages over how low Bolt can go in the 100. "9.50," guessed Reynolds, although there are statistical and biomechanical studies, involving split times and muscle stress, that suggest track nuts will someday see, no doubt with open mouths and popping eyes, times in the mid-9.40s.
"He can run 19.20 in the 200," said Reynolds, which would amount to another tenth of a second off Bolt's Beijing record.
Reynolds calls himself a "speedologist." He works at the D1 Sports Training Center for elite pro, college and high school athletes in Columbus. Before that, he was the speed coach for the OSU football team. (No bowl-game jokes. "Slowhio" might have been "Towhio" without him.)

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Butch Reynolds has been confirmed to appear at my daughter's elementary school today to close out "Live Like a Caveman Week". The program, which is not affiliated with Reynolds directly, emphasizes eating more raw fruits and vegetables, more outdoor play and less indoor activity such as tv and video games.

Its all part of a push to fight childhood obesity at Norwich Elementary in Hilliard.

I'll get some pics and post them later today if I can.
 
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