Olympic silver medalist, National Track & Field Hall of Fame member, and former world record holder Dr. Ralph Mann died Thursday at age 75. Mann captured the silver in the men’s 400-meter hurdles at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and set world records in the 440-yard hurdles in 1970 and 400H in 1972. In 1971 he grabbed gold at the Pan American Games, and four years later he added a Pan Am silver. A four-time AAU national champion, Mann also won the Olympic Trials title in 1972. He won three straight NCAA titles from 1969-71 while at Brigham Young University, becoming the first three-time winner and setting a world record of 48.8y in 1970. Mann graduated from Carson (California) High School in 1967, where he competed in the high hurdles and intermediate hurdles, and he went on to BYU, where he was introduced to the 440yH. He won three straight Western Athletic Conference (WAC) 440yH golds from 1969-71 and also won the flat 440y in 1970. Mann anchored the Cougars’ mile relay to victory in 1969 and 1971. As a sophomore in 1969, Mann tied the American record with his 49.6y to win the NCAA title. At Des Moines in 1970, he held off Wayne Collett to take his second straight collegiate crown with a 48.8 that gave him a .4 margin of victory. Sealing his hat trick of NCAA titles as a senior in 1971, Mann took the gold by more than a half-second. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in physical education at the Provo school. Heading into the 1972 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Mann was the favorite on paper after being ranked No. 1 in 1971, and his chief competition came from AAU champion Dick Bruggeman and NCAA winner Bruce Collins. Man made up ground on a tiring Bruggeman over the final 100 meters and won by two-tenths of a second in an American record 48.4. That set up his run to gold at Munich, where he was co-favorite with Britain’s David Hemery. Those two were surprised by Uganda’s John Akii-Bua, who streaked around the oval in lane one to win in a world record 47.82, with Mann edging Hemery by .01 for the runner-up spot in 48.51. Mann earned his Ph.D. in biomechanics at Washington State University in 1975. He was a tenured professor and researcher at the University of Kentucky from 1975-82, and he then began a consulting career that specialized in sports performance analysis. In 1982, Dr. Mann was intimately involved with Dr. Harmon Brown in creating a sport science program within the high performance ranks of USA Track & Field, which quickly became a leader in sport science in the Olympic space. Dr. Mann became the foremost international authority on using biomechanical analysis on elite sprinters and hurdlers to evaluate and improve their performances. His creation of an annual USATF Sprint & Hurdles Summit educated multiple generations of elite coaches on the latest factors affecting sprint and hurdle performance. Even more innovative was his taking of the lab to the track, completing biomechanical analyses in real-time during practice sessions, which led to medal-impacting improvements in performance. He was the founder and president of CompuSport, Inc., and president of SwingModel LLC, which specialized in the biomechanical analysis and interactive improvement of golfers of all levels of development, from beginners to Tour players. Inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2015, Mann was also a BYU Hall of Fame honoree in 1981. He and his wife, Jackie, had a son, Randall, and a daughter, Amber. What people are saying:
"What is truly remarkable about Ralph is how his innovations in applied sport science changed the sport in a massive way. Biomechanics in track and field in the 80s and 90s was largely a descriptive endeavor - trying to determine what made the best people the best. Ralph did that extremely well, but he also took the visionary next step in being interventional, by being able to tell the coach and the athlete not only 'here's where you are and here's where you need to be' but also exactly what they needed to do to affect true change and get better. It elevated sport science by making it important, accessible, and effective in helping athletes achieve peak performance. There are literally hundreds of medals in trophy cases or sock drawers that have Ralph’s fingerprints on them, due to his love and passion for the sport and for the scientific principles that are at the heart of performance.”
Robert Chapman, PhD Chief, Sport Science & Medicine, USA Track & Field Professor, Human Performance Laboratories, Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University
“I met Ralph in 1987 in Colorado Springs having coached my first elite sprinter. I was struck by not only his attention to detail from a science perspective, but he never allowed his intellect to interfere with the gut and mother wit that also make a great coach and athlete. Ralph was a supernova in the field of Biomechanical research and as a sprint coordinator for USATF I was fortunate to have watched him for over 20 years make his case for what it takes to put more medals in the hands of our elite men and women's sprints and hurdles. Ralph traveled the country and the world willing to teach and help coaches and athletes of any ilk discover and unlock their genetic potential. We are all a little less fortunate for his loss, but we have all been made a little smarter.”
Tony Veney Asst. Track & Cross Country Coach, Chapman University
“I’ve had many great moments with Ralph, but his smile is the most memorable. Ralph has opened the door which enabled all of us to dream beyond barriers. His thumb print will forever be weaved in the fabric of history. Ralph has revealed to all of us that the price you pay to be a champion is to give everything you have. He is linked to every sprinter and hurdler that ever stood the podium draped in the colors of red, white, and blue. Thanks, Ralph. Thanks for everything. You are no longer climbing the mountain. You're standing on it.”
Rahn Sheffield Head Track Coach at Sheffield Elite Track Club
“Dr. Ralph Mann was truly a legend as an athlete and as a biomechanist. He was one-of-a-kind, a total pioneer and trailblazer from both a scientific and practical standpoint. The sport of track and field, and sports science overall, would not be where they are without the tremendous contributions from Ralph. I learned so much from him, both on the track with USATF trips and also from the must-have book from Ralph and Amber. Most importantly, Ralph had a genuinely good heart and cared about the people he interacted with. Ralph's legacy will continue on.”
Dr. Ken Clark, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, West Chester University
“He has made such an impact on my coaching career. He used to come down to help out with NFL Combine with Coach Seagrave and Coach Visk. I learned more about developing speed just listening to Dr. Mann talking back and forth with Coach Seagrave. He made the complicated simple, if that makes sense. He was always willing to answer any questions and the willingness to teach others is what stood out to me. I had the opportunity to take his concepts and apply them to team sports and the results were astounding. Every time, my athletes got better because of his teachings. I will forever give credit to Dr. Mann and I am still in shock that he is not here anymore.”
Kevin Heiberger MS, CSCS Assistant Head of Strength and Conditioning, APD
“Ralph was at his best using his knowledge and translating into practice with the coaches and athletes on the track. He is admired for his ability to meaningfully connect with each individual and work with them over time to bring out the best in their abilities. He will be missed.”
Dr. Jill McNitt-Grey, PhD Gabilan Distinguished Professor in Science and Engineering Univ. of Southern California
“I am beyond saddened by the loss of Ralph Mann. He was vibrant, energetic, and trailblazing as an athlete, scientist, coach and educator. While talented individuals can excel in any one of these roles, Ralph excelled in all of them. His ability, independence and can-do spirit modernized approaches to sprinting and hurdling. His service orientation and pioneering methods delivered in-person benefits to hundreds of coaches and athletes. His parallel scholarly and teaching efforts reached and enlightened a global audience.
I had the good fortunate of working with Ralph as a fellow scientist and colleague who willingly shared data, knowledge and insight that were simply not available from any other source. My foremost memories of Ralph will always be him on the track as scientist, coach, and educator all at once, using technology to reach, teach and inspire generations of athletes who followed him.
Not unlike earlier dual sport & science pioneers Roger Bannister, Peter Snell and Jack Daniels, Ralph achieved at the very highest level in both domains, earning a world record on the track and worldwide impact as a scientist. Ralph’s love of athletics, deep appreciation of athletes, and desire to serve, leaves an exemplary legacy that we would all be well-served to emulate.”
Peter Weyand, PhD Professor and Chair, Director, Locomotor Performance Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Texas Christian University