Harvey Glance

While at Auburn, Harvey Glance scored a sprint double at the 1976 NCAA and then took the 100 m at the US Olympic Trials. Glance won the NCAA 100 m again in 1977 and placed third in 1978 and 1979. In college at Auburn he won 14 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships. In 1976 Glance twice tied the hand-time world record of 9.9 for 100 metres. In the Olympic 100 he was the first American home (in fourth place) but, for the first time since 1928, the US failed to medal in the short sprint.

In 1979 Glance won silver in 100 metres at the Pan American Games and in 1980 he again qualified for the Olympic team but, of course, did not compete. Glance was a fine relay runner and, apart from his Olympic gold medal, was on the 1979 and 1987 teams that won the Pan American Games 4×100 relay and won a gold medal in the 4x100 at the 1987 World Championships. He made the 1984 US Olympic team as a relay alternate but did not start.

Graduating from Auburn with a degree in health and human performance, he became an assistant coach at his alma mater in 1991 and then succeeded his coach, Mel Rosen, as head Auburn track & field coach from 1992-97. In 1997 he moved to the University of Alabama and coached there from 1997-2011.

Internationally Glance coached the 1994 World Junior Team and served as head coach of men’s track for Team USA at the World University Games. He was head coach at the 1999 Pan American Games and was an assistant coach at the 2003 World Championships. He was an assistant coach at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for sprints and hurdles and was USA head coach for the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. After retiring from Alabama in 2011, Glance continued as a personal coach for Kirani James, who won 400 metre titles at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.

In 1988, Glance became liaison for the US Olympic team. He has also been vice-president of USA Track and Field, president of the Athletes Advisory Committee, and a member of the US Olympic Committee’s Board of Directors. In 1996 Harvey Glance was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. His greatest honor came in 2008 when he received the Congressional Gold Medal of Freedom.

Personal Bests: 100y – 9.4 (1975); 100 – 10.05 (1985), 9.9h (1976); 200 – 20.25 (1983); LJ – 25-10 (7.87) (1977).