This is a list of NCAA Division I outdoor champions in the 400 meters or its imperial equivalent 440 yard dash. For men, the imperial distance was contested until 1975 excepting Olympic years starting in 1932. Metrication occurred in 1976, so all subsequent championships were at the metric distance. Hand timing was used until 1973, while starting in 1974 fully automatic timing was used. The women's race began in 1982.
| Year | Name | Nationality | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Florida St | 52.01 | |||
| 1983 | UCLA | 50.94 | |||
| 1984 | Florida St | 51.05 | |||
| 1985 | 50.95 | ||||
| 1986 | Alabama | 51.23 | |||
| 1987 | Alabama | 50.90 | |||
| 1988 | Morgan St | 51.23 | |||
| 1989 | Alabam | 50.18 | |||
| 1990 | Arizona St | 51.13 | |||
| 1991 | Nebraska | 51.01 | |||
| 1992 | Florida | 51.01 | |||
| 1993 | Auburn | 50.58 | |||
| 1994 | Seton Hall | 51.65 | |||
| 1995 | Kansas St | 52.01 | |||
| 1996 | 52.16 | ||||
| 1997 | Louisiana St | 50.60 | |||
| 1998 | 51.22 | ||||
| 1999 | 51.08 | ||||
| 2000 | South Carolina | 51.14 | |||
| 2001 | Rice | 52.33 | |||
| 2002 | Rice | 50.83 | |||
| 2003 | 50.58 | ||||
| 2004 | Tennessee | 50.32 | |||
| 2005 | UCLA | 50.10 | |||
| 2006 | Texas A&M | 51.11 | |||
| 2007 | Natasha Hastings | South Carolina | 50.15 | ||
| 2008 | Shana Cox | Penn State | 50.97 | ||
| 2009 | Joanna Atkins | Auburn | 50.39 | ||
| 2010 | Hampton | 50.69 | |||
| 2011 | Jessica Beard | Texas A&M | 51.10 | ||
| 2012 | 50.95 | ||||
| 2013 | 50.28 | ||||
| 2014 | 50.23 | ||||
| 2015 | 51.67 | ||||
| 2016 | 50.36 | ||||
| 2017 | Texas | 50.51 | |||
| 2018 | Lynna Irby | Georgia | 49.80 | ||
| 2019 | Wadeline Jonathas | South Carolina | 50.60 | ||
| 2021 | Athing Mu | Texas A&M | 49.57 | ||
| 2022 | Talitha Diggs | Florida | 49.99 | ||
| 2023 | Rhasidat Adeleke | Texas | 49.20 | ||
| 2024 | Nickisha Pryce | Arkansas | 48.89 |
| Year | Name, (Country) | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Frank Shea | Pittsburgh | 49.0y | |
| 1922 | Commodore Cochrane | Mississippi St | 49.7y | |
| 1923 | Commodore Cochrane | Mississippi St | 49.2y | |
| 1924 | Not held | |||
| 1925 | Hermon Phillips | Butler | 49.4y | |
| 1926 | Hermon Phillips | Butler | 48.7y | |
| 1927 | Hermon Phillips | Butler | 48.5y | |
| 1928 | Emerson "Bud" Spencer | Stanford | 47.7y | |
| 1929 | Russell Walter | Northwestern | 47.9y | |
| 1930 | Reginald Bowen | Pittsburgh | 48.0y | |
| 1931 | Victor Williams | Southern Cal | 48.3y | |
| 1932 | Notre Dame | 48.0 | ||
| 1933 | Glenn Hardin | Louisiana St | 47.1y | |
| 1934 | Glenn Hardin | Louisiana St | 47.0y | |
| 1935 | James LuValle | UCLA | 47.7y | |
| 1936 | Archie Williams | California | 47.0 | |
| 1937 | Loren Benke | Wash St | 47.1y | |
| 1938 | Ray Malott | Stanford | 46.8y | |
| 1939 | Erwin Miller | Southern Cal | 47.5y | |
| 1940 | Wash St | 47.3y | ||
| 1941 | Hubert Kerns | Southern Cal | 46.6y | |
| 1942 | Cliff Bourland | Southern Cal | 48.2y | |
| 1943 | Cliff Bourland | Southern Cal | 48.5y | |
| 1944 | Elmore Harris | Morgan St | 47.9y | |
| 1945 | William Kash | Navy | 49.8y | |
| 1946 | Illinois | 47.5y | ||
| 1947 | Illinois | 46.2yA | ||
| 1948 | Norman Rucks | South Carolina | 47.2 | |
| 1949 | Charles Moore | Cornell | 47.0y | |
| 1950 | Morgan St | 47.2y | ||
| 1951 | Morgan St | 46.5y | ||
| 1952 | Morgan St | 46.3 | ||
| 1953 | Jim Lea | Southern Cal | 47.0y | |
| 1954 | Jim Lea | Southern Cal | 46.7y | |
| 1955 | Jesse Mashburn | Oklahoma St | 46.6y | |
| 1956 | Jesse Mashburn | Oklahoma St | 46.4 | |
| 1957 | Bob McMurray | Morgan St | 46.8y | |
| 1958 | Glenn Davis | Ohio St | 45.7y | |
| 1959 | Eddie Southern | Texas | 46.4y | |
| 1960 | Ted Woods | Colorado | 45.7 | |
| 1961 | Adolph Plummer | New Mexico | 46.2y | |
| 1962 | Morgan St | 46.9y | ||
| 1963 | Ulis Williams | Arizona St | 45.8Ay | |
| 1964 | Bob Tobler | Brigham Y | 45.9 | |
| Ulis Williams | Arizona St | |||
| 1965 | Jim Kemp | Kentucky St | 46.2y | |
| 1966 | Dwight Middleton | Southern Cal | 46.46y | |
| 1967 | Emmett Taylor | Ohio | 45.9Ay | |
| 1968 | Lee Evans | San Jose St | 45.0 | |
| 1969 | Curtis Mills | Texas A&M | 44.93y | |
| 1970 | Larry James | Villanova | 45.5y | |
| 1971 | John Smith | UCLA | 45.3y | |
| 1972 | John Smith | UCLA | 44.5 | |
| 1973 | Maurice Peoples | Arizona St | 45.11y | |
| 1974 | Larance Jones | NE Missouri St | 45.46y | |
| 1975 | Benny Brown | UCLA | 45.34Ay | |
| 1976 | Ken Randle | Southern Cal | 45.2 | |
| 1977 | Herman Frazier | Arizona St | 45.57 | |
| 1978 | Willie Smith | Auburn # | 45.33 | |
| 1979 | Oregon St | 45.18 | ||
| 1980 | UTEP | 45.23 | ||
| 1981 | UTEP | 44.58 | ||
| 1982 | Oregon St | 45.18A | ||
| 1983 | UTEP | 44.62 | ||
| 1984 | Antonio McKay | Georgia Tech | 44.83 | |
| 1985 | Roddie Haley | Arkansas | 44.7 | |
| 1986 | Wash St | 44.3 | ||
| 1987 | Butch Reynolds | Ohio St | 44.12 | |
| 1988 | Danny Everett | UCLA | 44.52 | |
| 1989 | Raymond Pierre | Baylor | 44.59A | |
| 1990 | Steve Lewis | UCLA | 45. | 45.19 |
| 1991 | Gabriel Luke | Rice | 45.32 | |
| 1992 | Quincy Watts | Southern Cal | 44 | |
| 1993 | Calvin Davis | Arkansas | 45.04 | |
| 1994 | Derek Mills | Georgia Tech | 45.06 | |
| 1995 | George Mason | 44.62 | ||
| 1996 | Miami FL | 45.29 | ||
| 1997 | Oklahoma | 44.77 | ||
| 1998 | Jerome Davis | Southern Cal | 45.18 | |
| 1999 | Eastern Mich | 44.79 | ||
| 2000 | Auburn | 44.72 | ||
| 2001 | Auburn | 44.84 | ||
| 2002 | Tennessee | 44.53 | ||
| 2003 | Adam Steele | Minnesota | 44.57 | |
| 2004 | Jeremy Wariner | Baylor | 44.71 | |
| 2005 | Darold Williamson | Baylor | 44.51 | |
| 2006 | Xavier Carter | Louisiana St | 44.53 | |
| 2007 | Florida State | 44.66 | ||
| 2008 | Oral Roberts | 44.62 | ||
| 2009 | Florida State | 44.78 | ||
| 2010 | Alabama | 45.05 | ||
| 2011 | Alabama | 45.10 | ||
| 2012 | Tony McQuay | Florida | 44.58 | |
| 2013 | Bryshon Nellum | USC | 44.73 | |
| 2014 | Texas A&M | 45.02 | ||
| 2015 | Vernon Norwood | LSU | 45.10 | |
| 2016 | 44.82 | |||
| 2017 | Fred Kerley | Texas A&M | 44.10 | |
| 2018 | Michael Norman | USC Trojans | 43.61 | |
| 2019 | Kahmari Montgomery | Houston Cougars | 44.23 | |
| 2020 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | |||
| 2021 | Randolph Ross | N. Carolina A&T | 43.85 | |
| 2022 | Randolph Ross | N. Carolina A&T | 44.13 | |
| 2023 | Emmanuel Bamidele | University of Florida | 44.24 | |