Ralph Mann

Ralph Mann

Personal information
Full name	Ralph Vernon Mann
Born	June 16, 1949 (1949-06-16) (age 74) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the United States Olympic Games 1972 Munich 400 m hurdles Pan American Games 1971 Cali 400 m hurdles

Ralph Vernon Mann (born June 16, 1949) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 meter hurdles. He was an undergraduate at Brigham Young University, and later earned a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from the Washington State University. His son, Randall Mann, is an award-winning poet and literary critic. He also has a daughter, Amber Murphy.

Mann was born in Long Beach, California. In 1969, Mann won his first NCAA 440 intermediate hurdles championship with a time of 49.6 seconds. Tying the NCAA and American records, the time was three-tenths of a second off the world record. A year later in Des Moines, Iowa, Mann captured his second NCAA championship and set a new world record time of 48.8 seconds for the 440 intermediate hurdles.

During his collegiate career Ralph was NCAA champion three times. He was a three-time All-American, and in 1970 was second in the voting for the Sullivan Award.

He competed for the United States in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany, in the 400 meter hurdles where he won the silver medal. Ralph was a five-time AAU champion. He received the AAU’s DiBenedetto Award for the single most outstanding career, most notably for his Olympic silver medal.

In 2015, Mann was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Mann co-wrote the book "Swing Like a Pro: The Breakthrough Scientific Method of Perfecting Your Golf Swing" with Fred Griffin. This book was the culmination of Dr. Mann's expertise in the field of biomechanics and Griffin's experience of teaching golf as a PGA Professional for many years.

References

Sporting positions
Preceded by Unknown	Men's 400m Hurdles Best Year Performance 1971	Succeeded by John Akii-Bua