Oregon Wide Receiver Devon Allen Wins 110m Hurdles at Olympic Trials
Back in 1964, Bob Hayes, a wide receiver at Florida A&M University won the Gold Medal in the 100 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, and another gold as a member of the 4 X 100 relay team. Hayes went on to have a great career in the NFL, mostly with the Dallas Cowboys. Football players with world class speed , usually receivers, show up on the scene, but not many of them make it to the Olympics.
Devon Allen is one of those rare individuals who is following in Hayes’ footsteps. Allen is a wide receiver with the Oregon Ducks, and he also is going to Rio as an Olympic hurdler. Allen won the 110 meter hurdles at the U.S. track and field Olympic trials, not just as a qualifier, but as the winner in the event. The trials were held in Eugene, Oregon, home of the Ducks.
Allen saw limited action (nine catches for 94 yards) in 2015 due to an injury, but as a freshman in 2014, he had 41 receptions for 684 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen will race in next month’s Olympics, and be back home in time for the Ducks’ football opener against California-Davis on September 3rd.
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Some honorable mention should go to Renaldo Nehemiah, especially when discussing the 110m hurdles. He was ranked at the top for several years. The Afghanistan invasion kept him out of the Olympics, in which he certainly would have been a favorite. Although his football career could be classified as he did “show up on the scene”, he did pick up a ring with the Niners, scored a few touchdowns, and played a few years.