Harvey Glance was a track star who won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics.
- Died: June 12, 2023 (Who else died on June 12?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Mesa, Arizona, of cardiac arrest at the age of 66.
- We invite you to share condolences for Harvey Glance in our Guest Book.
Harvey Glance’s legacy
Hailing from Alabama, Glance attended Auburn University, where he was a standout sprinter on the track team. In 1976, he set a junior record for the 100-meter sprint, as well as won the NCAA Championship in both the 100- and 200-meter sprint. That same year, he went to the Summer Olympics in Montreal, where he competed in the 100-meter sprint and the 4×100-meter relay, winning a gold medal in the latter. Back at college after the Olympics, Glance won another NCAA Championship in the 100-meter sprint in 1977.
In 1980, Glance again qualified for the Olympics, but he was unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the games being held in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Twenty-eight years later, he was one of the 461 would-be 1980 Olympians who received Congressional Gold Medals in recognition of their denied opportunity to compete. Running the 4×100-meter relay, Glance won further gold medals at the 1985 Athletics World Cup, 1979 and 1987 Pan American Games, and 1987 World Championships.
After his own track and field career, Glance worked as the head track and field coach at Auburn University, becoming the school’s first Black head coach in any sport. He later became head coach at the University of Alabama. He coached Team USA at the 2008 Olympics and at the 2003 and 2009 World Championships.
Notable quote
“I know if I just run my own race every time, I’ll be hard to beat.” —from a 1976 interview for Track and Field News
Tributes to Harvey Glance
Full obituary: AL.com
