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Frank Budd

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Frank Budd
No. 20
Born:(1939-07-20)July 20, 1939
Long Branch, New Jersey,U.S.
Died:April 29, 2014(2014-04-29)(aged 74)
Marlton, New Jersey,U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Wide receiver/Return specialist
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight175 lb (79 kg)
CollegeVillanova
NFL draft1962,round: 7, pick: 96
Career history
As player
1962Philadelphia Eagles
1963Washington Redskins
1965-1966Calgary Stampeders
Career highlights and awards
Records100 yard dash[1]
Career stats
Receptions10
Receiving yards236
Receiving TDs1

Francis Joseph Budd(July 20, 1939 – April 29, 2014) was anAmerican footballwide receiverin theNational Football League(NFL) for thePhiladelphia Eaglesand theWashington Redskins.Budd was anOlympicathlete who competed in the1960 Summer OlympicsinRome,where he finished fifth in the finals of the100 meterevent and was part of the team that finished first in the 4×100 meter relay before being disqualified on a baton pass.[2]He set theworld recordin the100-yard dashwith a time of 9.2 seconds in 1961, breaking the record that had been set byMel Pattonin 1948.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Budd was born inLong Branch,New Jersey.He playedhigh school footballatAsbury Park High SchoolinAsbury Park.[3]

He ran track atVillanova Universitybut never played a down of college football. At Villanova he was coached by their legendary track coachJames 'Jumbo' Elliott.

Amazingly. Budd achieved his success despite a deformed right calf, the legacy of a childhood disease, possibly polio.[4]

Track career

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Budd was considered the world's best 100 y/m sprinter in 1961. That year, he was to equal the world record for 100 y at 9.3 s, set a new world record at 9.2 s for that distance, and was a member of a team that set a world record in the 4 × 100 m relay of 39.1 s.[5]

The next year, 1962, he equaled the world record for 200 m/220 y on a straight track of 20.0 s.[5]

1960 Rome Olympics

[edit]

Budd had finished second behindRay Nortonin the United States Olympic trials at 100 m in a closely fought contest between the first four finishers, all recording the same time of 10.4 s. At the Olympics themselves, Budd was to finish fifth in the final with perhaps his inexperience at major championships telling against him.[6]

Budd was to experience further disappointment in the 4 × 100 m relay. The United States team (of Budd-Norton-Stone Johnson-Dave Sime) finished first in a world record time of 39.4 s but were disqualified because the at the first exchange from Budd to Norton, Norton started too early and the exchange happened outside the changeover box. The West German team who finished second in 39.5 s received the gold medals and became the new world record holders.

100 m final at the 1960 Olympics, Budd is 2nd from right

World records

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In 1961, Budd was to equal twice the then world record for 100 y of 9.3 s:[7]

  • on 6 May inVillanova;
  • on June 11 in Villanova (Note: this time was never ratified.)

This record had stood since 1948 having first been set byMel Pattonand subsequently equaled by 12 other athletes.

Then on June 24, 1961, Budd became the first man to run the 100 y in 9.2 s. He was competing in the AAU Championships atDowning StadiuminNew York City.[8]

On July 15, 1961, in a dual USA-USSR meet, Budd was a member of team that set a new world record for the 4 × 100 m relay of 39.1 s.[9]

The next year, 1962, he equaled the world record for 200 m/220 y on a straight track of 20.0 s. It is claimed that Budd, feeling a twinge in a muscle, was easing-up the last 70 m.[10]

Rankings

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Budd was ranked among the best in the US and the world in both the 100 and 200 m sprint events during the period 1960–62, according to the votes of the experts ofTrack and Field News.[11][12][13][14]

USA Championships

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Budd achieved notable success at the AAU championships, the USA national championships.[15]

American football career

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Budd wasdraftedby the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the1962 NFL draftand played for the Eagles in 1962 as awide receiver.He played for the Washington Redskins in 1963 before switching to theCanadian Football League,where he played for theCalgary Stampedersin 1965 and 1966.[16][17]

Budd had both sporting and financial reasons for giving up the chance of further glory on the track for the possibility of glory and wealth on the football field; as his wife, Barbera, has stated, "...you've got to remember that Frank loved football, too,....He didn't think it was a mistake at all. There was no money available then in track. He'd been a terrific player at Asbury Park, and he thought, with all his speed (despite no college football experience), he'd have a long career in the NFL.".[18]

Honors

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In 1995, Budd was one of the seven former Villanova athletes chosen to be a member of the first induction class of the Villanova Wall of Fame.[19]

Later life

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Budd has been reported to have worked in later life for the New Jersey Department of Corrections and retired in 2002.[20][21]

A resident ofMount Laurel, New Jersey,Budd died on April 29, 2014, in theMarltonsection ofEvesham Township, New Jersey.He was 74.[16]

References

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  1. ^abNew York Times, June 25, 1961, 73rd NATIONAL A.A.U. Track & Field Championships Of The U.S.A. at John J. Downing Memorial Stadium
  2. ^Frank BuddArchivedJanuary 17, 2014, at theWayback Machine.sports-reference.com
  3. ^Frank Budd profileArchivedFebruary 17, 2010, at theWayback Machine,database Football. Accessed June 4, 2007.
  4. ^John F. Morrison (May 6, 2014)Frank Budd, 74, the "world's fastest human" in 1961.phillynews.com.
  5. ^abProgression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 460.
  6. ^R Hymans (2008)The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & FieldArchivedMarch 27, 2016, at theWayback Machine,USA Track & Field
  7. ^Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 16.
  8. ^Roy Terrell (July 3, 1961)."Record Dash en Route To Moscow".Sports Illustrated.Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2018.RetrievedDecember 9,2017.
  9. ^Roy Terrell (July 24, 1961)."The High Meet The Mighty".Sports Illustrated.Archived fromthe originalon September 20, 2018.RetrievedDecember 9,2017.
  10. ^Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Imre Matrahazi (ed.), IAAF Athletics, p. 38.
  11. ^"World Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters"(PDF).Track and Field News.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 29, 2015.RetrievedJune 27,2014.
  12. ^"U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters"(PDF).Track and Field News.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^"World Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters"(PDF).Track and Field News.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^"U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters"(PDF).Track and Field News.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2003ArchivedJuly 14, 2014, at theWayback Machine,Track and Field News, Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  16. ^abLitsky, Frank."Frank Budd, Once Known as World’s Fastest Human, Dies at 74",The New York Times,May 1, 2014. Accessed May 30, 2014.
  17. ^"Frank Budd".Cflapedia.com.RetrievedOctober 31,2020.
  18. ^Elliot Denman (May 6, 2014)."A tribute to Frank Budd".runblogrun.com.
  19. ^"Villanova Legend Frank Budd Passes Away".Villanova Athletics. April 20, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon May 28, 2014.RetrievedJuly 5,2014.
  20. ^"'World's Fastest Human,' a Former NJDOC Employee, Dies at Age 74 "(PDF).Spring 2014 Newsletter.NJDOC.RetrievedNovember 20,2014.
  21. ^"Sprinter Frank Budd dies",Associated Press,May 2, 2014.
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