Clancy Edwards

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Clancy Edwards

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| nationality = American

| sport = Athletics

| event = Sprints

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| birth_date = August 9, 1955

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| medaltemplates=

{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}

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Clancy Edwards (born August 9, 1955) is an American retired track and field sprinter. He was considered one of the best sprinters in the world between 1974 and 1978. He won the 200 metres at the 1977 IAAF World Cup, the most important meet of that year, defeating future World Record holder Pietro Mennea.

Early life

While in high school, he ran for Santa Ana High School.{{Cite web|url=http://www.slowtwitch.com/Opinion/Old_harriers_never_die_933.html|title = Old harriers never die}} His 21.32 (converted from a hand time of 21.2) for 220 yards, winning the 1973 CIF California State Meet, was the best time in Orange County, California for 12 years.{{cite web |url=http://www.flashresults.com/flashwest/lists/ochs-b.htm |title=Orange County All-Time Boys Track & Field Marks |access-date=2008-05-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124180400/http://www.flashresults.com/flashwest/lists/ochs-b.htm |archive-date=2013-01-24 }} He was also 2nd in the 100-yard dash.{{cite web |url=http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |title=California State Meet Results - 1915 to present |publisher=Hank Lawson |access-date=2012-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092406/http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |archive-date=2014-10-06 |url-status=dead }}

Collegiate career and international success

Edwards began his collegiate career at Cal Poly in 1974, running for their track team, the Cal Poly Mustangs (where he won titles under the tutelage of coach Steve Simmons).

In August 1975, he won the CCAA Athlete of the Year Award for all sports.{{Cite news |last=Shaw |first=Wayne |date=August 26, 1975 |title=Poly's Edwards named CCAA's 'athlete of year' |work=San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune |pages=8}} During an era when Division II-attending competitors could also advance up to the Division I NCAA Championships, Edwards came in third place at the 1975 Division I finals at BYU in the 220 yards, clocking an All-American time of 20.61 seconds.{{Cite news |date=June 9, 1975 |title=Edwards third in 220 |work=San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune |pages=7}} He missed out on the 1976 Summer Olympics because of injury.{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/Interviews/Clancy%20Edwards.pdf|title=T& FN Interview Clancy Edwards|author=Jon Hendershott|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In 1977, he transferred as a junior to the University of Southern California. While at USC he was one of the best sprinters in the world, helping them to the Pac-8 collegiate championship.{{cite news|url=http://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin/stanford?a=d&d=stanford19770516-01.1.5&e=07-07-1969-31-12-1970--en-20--1--txt-txIN-new+riders------# |title=Lofton, Albritton win Pac-8 titles; Sheats, mile relay break records|publisher=The Stanford Daily |author=Bruce Anderson|date=May 16, 1977 |access-date=2015-12-20}} Also in 1977, Edwards won the first of his two double British AAA Championships title wins in the 100 metres and 200 metres event at the 1977 AAA Championships.{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=7 June 2025}}

He was ranked (see below) in the American top ten at 200 metres five times between 1974 and 1979 including #1 in 1977 and 1978. Worldwide those rankings were not much different, ranking #1 in 1978 and #3 in 1977 behind Mennea and Olympic Champion Don Quarrie. And he was #2 worldwide in 1978 at 100 metres.

Edwards' fastest time over 100 metres was 10.07 seconds, set at Eugene in June 1978. In that year, Edwards achieved the remarkable 'double-double' of winning the 100 and 200 m events at both the NCAA (United States collegiate) and AAU (United States National) Championships. He was the first to do this since Hal Davis in 1943.{{cite news|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1978/06/19/822751/dual-duels-in-the-sun-a-sprinter-and-a-distance-runner-each-took-a-pair-of-titles-at-the-aau-meet |title=Dual duels in the sun|publisher=Sports Illustrated |author=Joe Marshall|date=June 19, 1978 |access-date=2015-12-20}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.usctrackandfield.com/NCAA%20individuals%20(m).pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-09-26 |archive-date=2010-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130183920/http://usctrackandfield.com/NCAA%20individuals%20(m).pdf |url-status=dead }} That same year he also recorded the world's best yearly performance in the men's 200 metres at the dual meet against crosstown rival UCLA in Westwood, Los Angeles, clocking 20.03 on April 29, 1978. In both 1977 and 1978 he was awarded the Pac-10 Track Athlete of the Year.

Also in 1978, Edwards ran the anchor leg of a University of Southern California team (with Joel Andrews, James Sanford and William Mullins) that broke the world record in 4 × 200 m relay event with a time of 1.20.26 at Tempe, Arizona on 27 May.Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 137. They broke the record even though they came second in the race. The team that won from the Tobias Striders track team was multi-national and so was not eligible to hold the record; that team of Guy Abrahams, Michael Simmons, Don Quarrie and James Gilkes recorded a time of 1.20.23.

Injury ruined his 1979 season,{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1979/06/17/nehemiah-wins-hurdles-crown-with-aau-mark/6c653785-32fb-4b3e-820f-fb99ed744a37/ |title=Nehemiah Wins Hurdles Crown With AAU Mark|newspaper=The Washington Post |author=Robert Fachet|date=June 17, 1979 |access-date=2015-12-22}} although he did win another sprint double at the British 1979 AAA Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=7 June 2025}} The following year, the United States boycott of the 1980 Olympics meant he lacked the motivation to re-find his best form and to carry on with his track career post-1980 onto the next Olympics.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19800612&id=OrYfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2186,5171739&hl=en |title=Glory Days at End for Clancy Edwards|publisher=Southeast Missourian |agency=Associated Press|date=June 12, 1980 |access-date=2015-12-19}}

Track and field rankings

Edwards was ranked among the best in the US and the world in the 100 yard/100 metre and 200 yard/200 metre sprint events in the period 1974-79, according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News.{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/01-m100rank.pdf|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6ZQLmFUkG?url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/01-m100rank.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-06-20|title=World Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters|publisher=Track and Field News|access-date=2015-12-19}}{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/01-m100rankus.pdf|title=U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/02-m200rank.pdf|title=World Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/02-m200rankus.pdf|title=U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

class=wikitable \|+ 100 meters
Year !World rank !US rank
1974 \|align="center" \| - \|align="center" \| 6th
1975 \|align="center" \| - \|align="center" \| 8th
1976 \|align="center" \| - \|align="center" \| -
1977 \|align="center" \| 5th \|align="center" \| 3rd
1978 \|align="center" \| 2nd \|align="center" \| 1st
1979 \|align="center" \| - \|align="center" \| -

class=wikitable

|+ 100 meters

Year

!World rank

!US rank

1974

|align="center" | -

|align="center" | 6th

1975

|align="center" | -

|align="center" | 8th

1976

|align="center" | -

1977

|align="center" | 5th

|align="center" | 3rd

1978

|align="center" | 2nd

|align="center" | 1st

1979

|align="center" | -

class=wikitable \|+ 200 meters
Year !World rank !US rank
1974 \|align="center" \| 9th \|align="center" \| 3rd
1975 \|align="center" \| - \|align="center" \| 6th
1976 \|align="center" \| - \|align="center" \| -
1977 \|align="center" \| 3rd \|align="center" \| 1st
1978 \|align="center" \| 1st \|align="center" \| 1st
1979 \|align="center" \| 10th \|align="center" \| 6th

class=wikitable

|+ 200 meters

Year

!World rank

!US rank

1974

|align="center" | 9th

|align="center" | 3rd

1975

|align="center" | -

|align="center" | 6th

1976

|align="center" | -

1977

|align="center" | 3rd

|align="center" | 1st

1978

|align="center" | 1st

1979

|align="center" | 10th

|align="center" | 6th

References

External links

[http://digilander.libero.it/Mennea/Stagionali/WRL/1978/200.htm 1978 Year Rankings]
[http://www.apulanta.fi/matti/yu/yt/index_Men.html#1978 Statistics]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQGgsOAhmYo 1975 Pan American 4 x 100 metres relay final]

{{succession box|before={{flagicon|CUB}} Silvio Leonard|title=Men's 200 m Best Year Performance|years=1978|after={{flagicon|ITA}} Pietro Mennea}}