Jim Hines, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who was the first to break 10 seconds in the 100m has passed away, reports NBC Sports.
Mamie Hines Ford, Hines’ sister, confirmed her brother’s passing. No cause of death was disclosed.
John Carlos, Hines' teammate in the 1968 U.S. Olympics, paid tribute to the late sprinter in a post on Facebook.
“I understand that God called him home today and we send the prayers up for him,” his post read.
Born James Ray Hines in Dumas, Arkansas, Hines was raised in Oakland, California, where, in high school, he was a multi-sport star in baseball, football and track. He attended Texas Southern University in Houston gaining a reputation as one of the best sprinters in the country.
At the 1968 U.S. National Track and Field Championships, Hines became the first man to break the 10-second barrier, recording a hand-timed 9.9 seconds to qualify for the American team for the Olympic Games in Mexico City in June 1968.
Shortly thereafter, Hines clocked a hand-timed 9.9 in Mexico City—which was electronically registered as 9.95 seconds—making him the first man to go sub-10 on electronic timing and earning him his first gold medal in October 1968. Also, he was part of the U.S. 4x100m relay team that captured the gold medal in a world-record time of 38.24.
While the 1968 Olympic Games was infamous for being boycotted by Black athletes and for the protests that were led by Black athletes that participated in the event, Hines was not on board for public demonstrations.
“Most of us felt the best way a Black athlete could make a statement was by going and doing his best,” Hines said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1991. “Tommie and John felt what they were doing was for all Black athletes and Black men in America. They didn’t think it out.”
After the Olympics, Hines joined the Miami Dolphins, who chose him in the sixth round of that year’s NFL Draft to be a wide receiver. He went on to play 10 games between 1969 and 1970 for the Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
Following his retirement from sports, Hines worked as a social worker and established a charity that served people in the Oakland area.
He was inducted into the USATF Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Texas Southern University Hall of Fame in 1986.
In addition to his sister, Mamie, Hines is survived by another sister, Camille Sellers; a son, James Jr.; a daughter, Kimberly Anderson; and four grandchildren.
We at EBONY extend our prayers and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jim Hines.
