Born March 11, 1956, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

One of the greatest triple jumpers ever produced by the United States, Willie Banks had his best moment on June 16, 1985 when he set a world record of 58-11.5 at the national championships in Indianapolis, Ind. That was merely the culmination of a career that started in Oceanside, Calif. After graduating from high school, Banks attended UCLA and was twice runnerup in the NCAA Championships. It was after college that he achieved his greatest success, setting his first American record in 1981 and increasing that record six more times before he was through. Banks represented the U.S. in 18 international competitions and was a member of the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic teams. He also was on the 1983 and 1987 World Championship teams. In 1985, Banks was the Track & Field News and U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year. Banks also served USA Track & Field as chair of the Athletes Advisory Committee in addition to serving as an organization vice president.