1968 Olympic Champion And Former World Record Holder Has Died At 74

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Track and field legend Lee Evans, who was the first man to run under 44 seconds in the 400 meters, died Wednesday, according to USATF.

Evans held the world record in the 400 meters (43.86) for 20 years, cementing him as one of the greatest quarter-milers who ever lived. He was also a key member of the 4x400 relay team that produced a world record (2:56.16) that lasted 24 years.

Evans was a human rights activist who grew up in Madera, Calif. and became one of the stars of San Jose State's famed "Speed City" track program, along with fellow 1968 Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Like Smith and Carlos, Evans was part of the Olympic Project for Human Rights and protested by wearing a black beret when he accepted his gold medal for the 400 meters in Mexico City.

Evans competed into his 30s and became a coach, helping organize the sport in Africa and later serving as an assistant at San Jose State and Washington, before becoming head coach at the University of South Alabama. He left that job in 2008 and returned to Africa to work for the United Nations.

He reportedly died following a stroke in Lagos, Nigeria. He was 74.