Phil Mulkey

In June 1961, at the Southeastern AAU Meet in Memphis, Phil Mulkey totaled 8,709 points in the decathlon (8,049 on the 1985 tables), bettering the world record, although it was never ratified by the IAAF. Mulkey’s best placing in the AAU decathlon was third in 1960, which doubled that year as the decathlon Olympic Trials. He was silver medalist at the 1959 Pan American Games decathlon. He competed for Memphis State (now Univ. of Memphis), Univ. of Wyoming, and the Memphis TC. Mulkey won the decathlon seven times at the Kansas Relays and in 2005 was inducted into the Kansas Relays Hall of Fame. His athletics feats were not limited to athletics. Mulkey was a Missouri Golden Gloves Boxing Champion and won a Tennessee state champion in diving.

Mulkey later became the long-time track & field coach at The Altamont School in Birmingham, Alabama, coaching them to five state cross-country championships and six state track & field titles. He also coached basketball and led Altamont to a state Final Four berth. He served in the US Marine Corps Reserve and the US Army during the Korean War and later as a US Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) instructor. He competed into his 60s in Masters competition, setting many World Records in various age groups.

Personal Bests: 120yH – 14.4 (1962); HJ – 1.99 (6-6½) (1962); PV – 4.52 (14-10) (1962); LJ – 7.43 (24-4¾) (1960); TJ – 14.57 (47-9½) (1962); SP – 16.66 (54-8) (1961); DT – 48.69 (159-9) (1964); JT – 67.44 (221-3) (1961); Dec – 8049 (1961).