Eddie Hart (athlete)

Eddie Hart

Personal information
Full name	Edward James Hart
Born	April 24, 1949 (age 66) Martinez, California, U.S.
Medal record Men's athletics Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games 1972 Munich 4x100 m relay

Edward James "Eddie" Hart (born April 24, 1949) is an American former track and field sprinter, winner of the gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay race at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Born in Martinez, California, Eddie Hart won the NCAA championships in 100 yd in 1970 as a University of California student.

At the US Olympic Trials in 1972, both Hart and Rey Robinson repeated the world record, running the 100 m in 9.9 seconds, and were favored to win the race at the Olympic Games. But in Munich, they were both eliminated in the 100 m race because their coach, Stan Wright, unknowingly using an outdated Olympic schedule to determine the starting time of their quarterfinal heat, failed to deliver them to the track on time. This failure due to disorganization created much controversy.^[1] Hart also ran the anchoring leg in the American 4 × 100 m relay team, which won a gold medal and equalled the United States' own world record of 38.19.

Hart continued to run and in 1989 set the Masters world record in the 100 m that lasted for 14 years.^[2]

References

1. Stan Wright, a U.S. Olympic Track Coach, Is Dead at 78 by Frank Litsky, November 8, 1998, The NY Times article
2. Eddie Hart wins gold for his outlook by Gwen Knapp, September 10, SF Gate article