Oliver Ford (born 27 March 1947) is a retired sprinter who jointly held the 100 metres world record with six other men in 1968, at 10.0s. He matched the then-record in the semi-finals of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics track and field championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico and won the final with a time of 10.1s.[1]
He studied at Southern University, where he was coached by Richard A. Hill,[2] and normally ran 220 yards and 440 yards.[1] After his record run he planned to try for the Olympics,[3] but was ill for the Olympics trials in July 1968,[4] though he was selected to compete at the final selection in Echo Summit that September.[5] He won both the 100-yard dash (in 9.5s) and the 220 yard dash (in 20.5s) at the 1969 NAIA championships in Billings, Montana, where he was named outstanding athlete.[6]
In 1999, he was inducted into the Southern University Hall of Fame.[7] [8]