Milan Tiff

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Milan Tiff (born July 5, 1949) is an American track and field athlete. He is best known for his triple jumping, but his skills pass through several arenas. He was the bronze medalist in the 1975 Pan American Games.{{Cite web | url=http://www.gbrathletics.co.uk/ic/pag.htm | title=Pan Am Games | access-date=2024-08-12 | website=www.gbrathletics.co.uk}} At the Pan Am Games, his name shows the additional name of Abdul Rahman, and in the 1976 Olympic Trials and 1976-1977 National Championships he used the name Caleb Abdul Rahman but he has not gone by that name in other competitions since that period in time. In 1978 he used Milan Tiff in the National Championships. Tiff was an elite black athlete at UCLA at the same time as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in an era when converting to Islam was happening. He was ranked in the world top ten twice, 1975 and 1977.{{cite web|url=http://trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/tjworldbyathlete.pdf |title=World Rankings Index — Men's Triple Jump |accessdate=2008-07-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516194243/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/tjworldbyathlete.pdf |archivedate=2008-05-16 }}

Early life and career

A childhood victim of Osgood-Schlatter disease, he did not walk until he was age 8.{{Cite web | url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20073523,00.html | title=Triple Jumper Milan Tiff Puzzles the Track World with His Art, His Friends and His Ideas | magazine=People Magazine | date=1979-04-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201232/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20073523,00.html | archive-date=2016-03-03}} He went on to become the first American to jump 57 feet while winning his second USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAOutdoorTF/men/mTJ.asp |title=USATF - Statistics - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions |accessdate=2011-10-22 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610222614/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAOutdoorTF/men/mTJ.asp |archivedate=2011-06-10 }} USATF National Championships

Growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, June 1968, set a state of Ohio high school triple jump record at 49’-11”.Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio, June 17, 1968. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/153218668/?terms=Tiff%20triple%20jump&match=1//] Retrieved May 5, 2021Ohio Track and Field News. [http://www.doverohclassof1984.org/docs/extracurriculars/Sports/Track/OTFN/OH%20T&F%205-17-1982.pdf] Retrieved May 5, 2021 1969, he first attended college at Miami University Ohio.http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/champs_records_book/1999-00/m_idtrack.pdf NCAA Results March 1970 (in Detroit) Tiff won the NCAA championship triple jump.Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio, Mar 22, 1970. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/104436614/?terms=Milan%20Tiff&match=1//] Retrieved May 12, 2021 Later, switching to UCLA to work with Jim Bush, where he was a teammate of John Smith and Dwight Stones.{{cite web|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/genrel/ucla-100-70.html |title=UCLA BRUINS - Athletics News |accessdate=2012-03-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213235836/http://www.uclabruins.com/genrel/ucla-100-70.html |archivedate=2012-02-13 }} UCLA of the 1970s While there he won the 1973 NCAA Championship in the Triple Jump.{{Cite web | url=http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/track_outdoor_champs_records/2009-10/2009_m_d1_otf.pdf | publisher=NCAA | title=Division I Men - Results | website=web1.ncaa.org}} Later he joined Bush as an assistant coach{{Cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-24-sp-763-story.html | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | title=Milan Tiff (horizontal jumping), Barbara Ferrell Edmonson... | date=24 July 1990 | access-date=2024-08-12 }} After completing UCLA, he was a member of the Southern California Striders.

A talented painter,{{cite web|url=http://nelsonga.ipower.com/archives/2007/04/shared_historie.html |title=Richard L. Nelson Gallery: Shared Histories: African American Art from Local Collections |accessdate=2010-02-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713053147/http://nelsonga.ipower.com/archives/2007/04/shared_historie.html |archivedate=2011-07-13 }} UC Davis showing he spends many hours working on art. He approaches many other activities with an artistic perspective. Like several athletes of his era he acted in the 1982 movie Personal Best. Later he trained Emilio Estevez for two of his mid-1990s film roles.{{citation needed | date=August 2024}} He has continued to train athletes at UCLA including many NBA players.{{Cite web | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_8_227/ai_97997869/ | title=Arenas' fast track might run over warriors - Insider - basketball player Gilbert Arenas | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611070805/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_8_227/ai_97997869/ | archive-date=2008-06-11 | publisher=Sporting News | date=2003-02-24}} In 1991 he wrote a book on his own form of exercise called "Traveling light: an original form of exercise".{{Cite web | url=http://www.faqs.org/copyright/traveling-light-journal-with-quotations-from-the-book-by/ | title=Traveling light journal with quotations from the book by Max Lucado, In green pastures | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009191052/http://www.copyrightencyclopedia.com/traveling-light-journal-with-quotations-from-the-book-by/ | archive-date=2012-10-09}} He was later credited on James Ingram's album "It's Real" as "giving us the map."

In 1979, he was inducted into the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame.{{Cite web | url=http://www.mtsacrelays.com/archives/HallFame/Tiff.htm | title=Milan Tiff, Event: Triple Jump | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613082236/http://www.mtsacrelays.com/archives/HallFame/Tiff.htm | archive-date=2017-06-13}}

Tiff's father Benjamin ran on the East Technical High School (Cleveland) sprint relay team with Jesse Owens.Sports Illustrated, July 30, 1979. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210926071343/https://vault.si.com/vault/1979/07/30/mirror-mirror-on-reflection-milan-tiff-says-he-is-the-best-triple-jumper-of-all-and-because-he-thought-he-would-never-walk-tiff-wants-to-fly-all-the-way-to-a-gold-medal-in-the-moscow-olympics] Retrieved May 13, 2021

Tiff's sister, Michele Tiff-Hill was a 1984 Olympic Trials Qualifier in the Marathon.Fleet Feet,Feb. 2, 2022. [https://www.fleetfeet.com/blog/michele-tiff-hill//] Retrieved Feb. 26, 2022

Olympic Trials

Tiff placed 10th at the 1972 trials, and competed in the rounds at the 1976 trials.The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field, Richard Hymans. [http://www.legacy.usatf.org/usatf/files/69/695a8112-b7a0-4b9d-9dbb-8b4bca22677c.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517231938/http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/69/695a8112-b7a0-4b9d-9dbb-8b4bca22677c.pdf |date=2019-05-17 }} Retrieved Feb 26, 2022

Masters

Tiff expected to retire from the sport after the Olympics, but continues to jump in Masters athletics events into his 60s. He has held several Masters World Records as he has passed through the age groups. In 2009, small gust of wind is all that prevented him from equalling the M60 world record.{{cite web|url=http://www.scausatf.org/events/usatf_masters/2009_USATF_Masters_West_Region.htm |title=USATF Western Region Masters Championships - Results | date=June 2009 |accessdate=2010-02-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419020300/http://www.scausatf.org/events/usatf_masters/2009_USATF_Masters_West_Region.htm |archivedate=2010-04-19 }} USATF West Region

As a Masters athlete, Tiff officially has three Masters World Records plus one Masters American Record; and have meet records at the Masters SCA, Masters West Region, Striders Meet of Champions, and the Grandfather Games.Milan Tiff Brief Highlights, May 01, 2023.[https://mastershistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Milan-Tiff-Brief-Highlights.pdf] Retrieved May 1, 2023

References

External links

[https://www.oatccc.com/Coaches/Accolades/Hall-Of-Fame/View-Bio/Milan-Tiff-1986/ OATCCC Hall of Fame]
[http://www.mtsacrelays.com/archives/HallFame/Tiff.htm Mt Sac Relays Hall of Fame]

{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's triple jump}}

Category:1949 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Shaker Heights, Ohio

Category:Track and field athletes from California

Category:Track and field athletes from Ohio

Category:American male triple jumpers

Category:American masters athletes

Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)

Category:African-American track and field athletes

Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni

Category:UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes