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53-708: The Track Center is home to the Arkansas Razorback Track Program that has earned 42 National NCAA Track & Field Championships, although two were stripped from the University due to NCAA sanctions. The Center has hosted several national events including the Tyson Track & Field Invitational, NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Randal Tyson Track Center was the vision of former head coach John McDonnell and Athletics Director Frank Broyles . McDonnell presented

106-421: A 200 m win indoors. In the 2007 NCAA East Regional final, he won the 100 m dash in 10.05 seconds. His performance in the 200 m was more impressive however: he set the all-time collegiate record of 19.69 seconds in the 200 m, breaking Joe DeLoach 's record that had stood since 1988. This made him the sixth fastest 200 m runner ever and it was the seventh fastest run in history at

159-708: A Jamaican on both occasions (Bolt and Asafa Powell ). The year after the Olympics, Dix began the season with a world-leading time of 10.00 seconds in Tallahassee in April. He also set a world-leading relay time of 37.92 seconds with Travis Padgett , Shawn Crawford and Darvis Patton at the Penn Relays . However, he failed to maintain this strong form through the rest of 2009. Coach Teddy Long planned to improve Dix's start and acceleration in his races, but

212-418: A gold NCAA Championship watch to Tyson Foods, Inc. CEO Don Tyson in hopes of persuading him to partially fund the project. The Tyson family donated $ 3 million to the project. The cost of construction is estimated at around $ 7 million. Designed by a Fayetteville architecture firm, the facility was opened in 2000 and dedicated on February 12 of the same year. During the first year (2000) the facility hosted

265-507: A gold in the relay race . Competing in his first Olympics, Dix qualified for the 100 m final with a season's best of 9.95 seconds. In the final he registered a personal best of 9.91 seconds, finishing behind new world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago . The Olympic bronze medal was Dix's first medal at a major international competition. A few days later, he finished fifth in

318-588: A mid-race collision between Darvis Patton and Britain's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey meant the American team's baton never reached Dix's final leg. At the Diamond League 200 m final at the Memorial Van Damme he ran a personal best of 19.53 seconds. Blake was even faster (19.26), however, leaving Dix in second place even as he became the fourth fastest 200 m runner of all-time and then won

371-595: A published autobiography of the life and works of John McDonnell was officially declared a co-authorship between John McDonnell and Andrew Maloney . Titled, John McDonnell: The Most Successful Coach in NCAA History, the University of Arkansas Press publication chronicles the timeline of McDonnell's life, starting at the early beginnings of the famed sports figure's childhood growing up in his beloved native Ireland where he championed record-breaking success as

424-463: A track star and gained a level of global attention that eventually sparked a life-changing call to move to the United States where he would successfully represent America on the track. McDonnell earned his bachelor's degree from Southwestern Louisiana University (now Louisiana-Lafayette ) in 1969. While competing to become a six-time all-American in track and cross country at USL, he became

477-489: A young age, specialising in sprinting and the long jump . His speed also translated well to the football field, and he often played the sport at school. Dix was an accomplished high school runner: in his final year at Coral Springs High School in 2004 he recorded 10.28 seconds in the 100 meters , then third all-time on the Florida high school record list behind only Houston McTear and Curtis Johnson , and broke

530-415: Is a 60-meter straight in the center of the oval. Inside the oval there are shot put areas, high jump areas, and elevated horizontal jumping and pole vault runways. A new 36-foot (11 m) by 20-foot (6.1 m) video scoreboard was installed in 2005. There is also a 8,500-square-foot (790 m) warm up area (commonly called "The Green Room", because of the green colored Mondo surface) with restrooms for

583-491: Is the son of Washington and Plinnie Dix. His father, a former sprinter, is an assistant principal and track coach at New River Middle School, while his mother is a high school teacher. He has two older brothers, Alex and William, who also were track runners. While attending Florida State University , Dix became a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity . As of 2019 , Dix's best in the 200 m outdoors makes him

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636-687: Is widely considered one of the premiere track and field facilities in the United States. Several Collegiate (CR), American (AR), American Jr. (AJR), World Jr. (WJR) and World (WR) records have been set there. Walter Dix , Florida State, 2005 20.37 (WJR, AJR) Kirani James , Alabama, 2011 LaShawn Merritt , East Carolina, 2005 44.80 (WJR) 44.93 (AJR) Sanya Richards-Ross , Texas, 2004 50.82 (AJR, WJR) Meskerem Legesse , Oregon, 2004 2:01.03 (WJR) Texas A&M, 2005 Texas A&M, 2017 3:02.86 (CR) 3:02.52 (pending ratification) Raven Saunders , So. Illinois, 2015 18.62m (AJR) Gunnar Nixon , Arkansas, 2012 6022 points (WJR, AJR) *Both

689-558: The 10-second barrier in the 100 meters, with a best of 9.88 (9.80w) seconds. He was the only track athlete from USA to win 2 individual Olympic medals in Beijing. Dix was a highly successful amateur athlete, setting a state record in the 100 m and trying out for the US Olympic Team at the age of eighteen. He joined Florida State University and in his first year he broke the 100 m American junior record and won at

742-629: The 200 meters Florida high school record with 20.62 seconds. Aside from J-Mee Samuels ' 10.28 seconds in the 100 m, these were the two fastest marks by a high school athlete that year. Both these times were within the Olympic standard for the events. He competed at the US Olympic Trials in the 200 m, but did not progress beyond the heats stage. He began attending Florida State University (FSU) in late 2004, working with coach Bob Braman. At his first regional meeting for

795-511: The 200 m final with a time of 19.98 seconds, some distance off the winner Usain Bolt who had broken the world record . However, it transpired that both the silver and bronze medalists ( Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles and American Wallace Spearmon ) had stepped out of their lanes thus they were disqualified. As a result, Dix received his second Olympic bronze medal. Further disqualifications occurred in

848-425: The 2008 Summer Olympics in both the 100 and 200 m events. After recording a personal-best-equaling 9.93 seconds in the 100 m semifinals, he took second place behind Tyson Gay with a wind-assisted 9.80 seconds. He stated that his NCAA experience had helped raise his confidence and that he was less nervous than he was at the 2005 US Championships. The 200 m favorite Gay suffered an injury in

901-539: The 2009 US Championships , thus missing out on the World Championships , and a contract dispute with his agent resulted in only a handful of appearances that season. In 2011 he was both the 100 and 200 m American champion and won silver medals in the events at the 2011 World Championships . An injury at the 2012 Olympic trials meant he missed a second Olympic appearance. The son of a track and field coach, Walter Dix competed at athletics meetings from

954-565: The NCAA Outdoor Championships . After a fourth-place finish at the 2005 US Championships, Dix continued with his collegiate success, setting an NCAA record of 19.69 seconds in the 200 m and coming within one hundredth of the 100 m record. He completed a 100 m, 200 m, and 4×100 meter relay sweep at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships, the first to do so since John Carlos in 1969. He closed his amateur career in 2008: another NCAA 200 m title made him

1007-703: The Prefontaine Classic for another meet record of 19.72 seconds. In August at a meet in Nottwil, Switzerland, Dix ran a new personal best of 9.88 seconds, finishing second behind Nesta Carter who also set a new personal best of 9.86 seconds. An injury at the London Grand Prix brought an end to his season. In the first meeting of the 2011 IAAF Diamond League , at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix , he won

1060-466: The cross country and track head coach for the university in 1972 and became head track coach in 1978. McDonnell retired after the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He is considered by many to be the single most successful head coach (any sport) in collegiate athletics history. In 2005, Coach John McDonnell was inducted to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame . On February 27, 2013,

1113-433: The 1966–67 AAU 3,000-meter champion, and won the mile at the 1966 British Selection Games. He coached at New Providence (N.J.) High School (1969–70) and Lafayette (La.) High School (1971) before coming to the University of Arkansas. McDonnell was hired as the cross country coach in 1972 and added the entire men's track and field program in 1978. Coach McDonnell led the track team to their first national championship at

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1166-497: The 1984 NCAA Indoor Championships while the school was a member of the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Since then, the University of Arkansas has won 40 NCAA championships, including 11 cross country, 19 indoor track and 10 outdoor track. Other schools have won only 24 combined NCAA titles in the three sports during the same period. McDonnell's 40 national championships (which include 19 in indoor track, 10 in outdoor track and 11 in cross country) are more than any coach in any sport in

1219-502: The 20% portion of his multimillion-dollar sponsorship contract with Nike. The dispute with his agent Kimberly Holland was resolved in July: although the terms were undisclosed, Dix left Holland's Icon Management and decided to be his own agent. With his father as his coach, a legal battle and no major races to prepare for, Dix ran only a handful of local meetings in the rest of 2009. Dix returned to national competition with an appearance at

1272-535: The 200 m with a time of 20.06 seconds. Dix took further 200 m victories at the Eugene and London legs of the series, while Usain Bolt won the other three 200 m mid-season legs. He achieved a 100/200 sprint double at the 2011 USA Track and Field Championships , winning in the absence of Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon. Running in both the events at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics , he first secured

1325-605: The 200 m. He began to participate in Diamond League meetings, competing on the European circuit for the first time. He beat Wallace Spearmon at the Golden Gala 's 200 m race, breaking Michael Johnson 's meet record. He also took to the national stage, winning the 100 m and finishing as the 200 m runner-up at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships . A week later, Dix beat Tyson Gay at

1378-521: The 2010 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships . He took fourth place in the final and set a new 60 m indoor best of 6.58 seconds. Event winner Ivory Williams was disqualified after testing positive for marijuana and Dix was upgraded to third. He opened his outdoor season at the Seminole Twilight meet in May, recording 9.98 seconds in the 100 m and 19.89 seconds for

1431-477: The Indoor Championships were awarded to Texas A&M so that Arkansas would not host both the indoor and outdoor national championships in the same year. The University of Arkansas resumed hosting in 2010 and was the event site in 2011, 2013 and 2015. The 106,000-square-foot (9,800 m) building houses a 200-meter oval with banked turns. The track surface is Red and Grey Mondo Super X. There

1484-656: The Men's and Women's Collegiate Weight Throw records (Walter Henning, 22.02 (2008, also the AJR) and Brittney Riley, 25.56m, 2007) were set in Fayetteville, however, the records occurred at Walker Pavilion across campus, not at the Randal Tyson Center. John McDonnell (coach) John McDonnell (July 2, 1938 – June 7, 2021) was a head coach for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks track team. He began as

1537-540: The Olympic Trials thereafter. Over the course of his college career, Dix became only the second athlete to win three NCAA 200 m outdoor titles (after Ralph Metcalfe ) and, with six outdoor NCAA titles, he is listed as the joint third on all-time list. Furthermore, he finished with two indoor titles and 18 All-American honors. Competing at the 2008 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon , Dix qualified for

1590-806: The Tyson Invitational, a meet on the USATF Golden Spike Tour (now the VISA Championship Series), the Southeastern Conference Championships, and the NCAA Indoor Championships. Since that time the facility has been the annual host of the Tyson Invitational and has been the host the NCAA Indoor Championships every year until 2009. Due to Arkansas's successful bid to host the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships,

1643-714: The University of Southwestern Louisiana. After retiring, McDonnell enjoyed spending time on his 2,500-acre (10 km ) cattle ranch in Pryor, Oklahoma . He owned over 650 head of cattle . McDonnell was also involved with several non-profit organizations, including the American Heart Association and the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute and he worked closely with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to promote prostate cancer awareness. He

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1696-574: The Week after setting an American junior record in the 100 m. Running in the Icahn Stadium at the 2005 NCAA East Regional Championships, his heat-winning time of 10.06 seconds bettered Stanley Floyd 's 25-year-old mark. Dix went on to win the 100 m final and also won the 200 m in 20.23 seconds, the fourth fastest time by an American junior sprinter. At his first NCAA Outdoor Championships , Dix became FSU's first winner at

1749-578: The athletes in the south wing of the venue. In 2009, the Green Room was modified to become a weight room for the track and field programs. The track itself has a unique history as it is the same one used in the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Toronto, Canada. Following the end of the international event, the track was disassembled and then stored until the Arkansas athletic department purchased

1802-631: The campus of the University of Arkansas is named in his honor. McDonnell has been inducted as a member of the United States Track Coaches Hall of Fame, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Southwestern Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Mayo Hall of Fame. McDonnell was granted United States citizenship in 1969, the same year he graduated from

1855-399: The championships since 1980, and the first to do so as a freshman . He won the 100 m in 10.21 seconds, beating the defending NCAA champions DaBryan Blanton and Tyson Gay to the title. After recording a personal best of 20.18 seconds in the semifinals, he managed a fourth-place finish in the 200 m race. Dix competed at his first US senior championships that year and, as

1908-528: The heats of the Olympic 4×100 meter relay race : Darvis Patton and Tyson Gay misjudged a baton pass, causing the American team to be eliminated and spoiling any chance of Dix receiving a relay medal. He finished the Olympics as the only American sprinter to medal in two individual events. Dix closed the season with two sub-10 second runs at the Weltklasse and Athletissima meetings, finishing second to

1961-564: The heats. His time of 20.27 seconds in the 200 m final was the fastest indoor run in the world that year. His fastest of the season came at the Reebok invitational and his time of 20.25 seconds placed him as the 13th fastest runner in 2006. He completed a 200 m NCAA Championship double by taking the outdoor title, and he also finished as runner-up in the 100 m, second to Xavier Carter . In his third year as an FSU athlete he won four NCAA Division I titles, starting with

2014-445: The history of college athletics. The next highest is 31 by Pat Henry , former LSU and current track coach at Texas A&M University . McDonnell also won five national triple crowns (in 1984-85, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95 and 1998–99). Texas-El Paso has won three national triple crowns. No other school has ever won one. In addition, McDonnell's team and individual achievements include: The Razorback outdoor track facility on

2067-486: The league series. He moved to Southern Ireland in 2012 to train with John Smith and opened his outdoor season with a wind-aided run of 9.85 seconds. A 200 m win followed at the Doha Diamond League meet. He entered the 2012 US Olympic Trials and reached the 100 m final but, having pulled a muscle in his semi-final, he finished last in the race. This brought an end to his season. Walter Dix

2120-480: The only amateur to reach the 100 m final, he finished fourth. The only athletes to beat him were Leonard Scott , reigning Olympic Champion Shawn Crawford and the eventual world champion Justin Gatlin . Dix's second year at FSU was characterised by success in the 200 m. He won his first indoor NCAA title in the 200 m and was runner-up in the 60 m, having set a personal best of 6.59 seconds in

2173-424: The qualifying rounds, and Dix and Crawford both finished the 200 m final with 19.86 seconds, with Dix elected the winner by a photo finish . After signing a sponsorship deal with Nike worth around $ 1,000,000 a year, described by his agent as "the largest deal ever for a track athlete just coming out of college", Dix stated that his aims for the Olympics were personal bests in the individual sprints and

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2226-422: The silver medal in the 100 m final – defending champion Bolt was disqualified for a false start and Dix was runner-up to another Jamaican, Yohan Blake , in a comparatively slow 10.08 seconds. In the 200-meter final Bolt beat the field but Dix was the closest to him, running 19.70 seconds to take his second silver of the tournament. He attempted to gain a third medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay final , but

2279-464: The third most decorated track athlete in NCAA history, and he won gold and silver at the 2008 US Olympic Trials . Dix turned professional in mid-2008, signing a multimillion-dollar contract with Nike . He reached the Olympic finals in the 100 and 200 m , and won two bronze medals; the only American track athlete to win two individual medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics . He suffered an injury at

2332-488: The time. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships that year, he won three separate national titles, beating all opposition in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4×100 meter relay races. This achievement made him the first man to win the three races at an NCAA Championships since John Carlos did so in 1969. Dix's time of 9.93 seconds in the 100 m was a world-leader at that point of the season, and

2385-588: The track and brought it to Fayetteville in 1999. More than 20 years after it was first constructed it is still widely regarded as the fastest indoor track ever built. During the first decade of operation, the track is taken apart and stored in a building directly behind the center at the end of the collegiate indoor track season. During that time the Tyson Center played host to concerts, sporting events and trade shows. Yearly, engineers from Mondo would work with University personnel to reassemble and maintenance

2438-440: The track. In 2011 the track was resurfaced—it remains Mondo Super X, which was the original material used for the 1993 World Championships and the original surface used when the track was installed at the University of Arkansas. During the resurfacing process, the University worked closely with Mondo to insure the integrity and performance of the track lived up to its reputation as one of fastest indoor tracks ever built. The decision

2491-536: The two parted company in April. He placed third behind Michael Rodgers and Asafa Powell at the Prefontaine Classic but, unusually, this proved to one of the highlights of a low-profile year for Dix. He competed at the US Championships, but injuries forced him out of both the 100 m and 200 m races and he did not qualify for the World Championships . Furthermore, he entered a legal battle with his management company, regarding whether they merited

2544-598: The university, he won the 60-meter dash , 200 m and 4×400 meter relay , and was chosen as the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year. He made his first major impact at the NCAA Indoor Championships : after a sixth-place finish in the 60 m, he came second in the 200 m with a world junior record of 20.37 s, beaten only by Wallace Spearmon . Following this, he became USA Track & Field 's Athlete of

2597-437: The world was at the forefront of our decision to revitalize it instead of installing a new one. But we needed to ensure that any improvements we made kept the track's integrity intact. The track has such a history and such a strong reputation that we felt like it was in the best interest of NCAA track and field and Arkansas track and field." In 2014, construction of the 52,000 sq ft Fowler Family Baseball and Track Training Center

2650-529: Was completed. The facility provides a climate-controlled practice space, an expansive check in and warm up area for track meets and will allow all indoor meet throwing events to be held on site, as they were previously held across campus at the Walker Pavilion (Arkansas' indoor football field). The Tyson Center front lobby was renovated to add a display area for Arkansas' Track and Field NCAA trophies and updated ticket offices. The Tyson Center

2703-533: Was just 0.01 behind Ato Boldon 's NCAA record. For these accomplishments, he was again named USATF's Athlete of the Week. In his final year as an amateur athlete, he spent much of early 2008 battling a hamstring injury. However, he returned in April to win his third 200 m NCAA outdoor title, while placing fourth in the 100 m. Although his personal bests rivalled those of top professional athletes, Dix decided to finish his degree in social science at FSU, as his graduation in May 2008 allowed him to focus on

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2756-417: Was made at that time to make the track a semi-permanent fixture (being able to be removed if necessary, but otherwise remaining in place year around), making maintenance easier, preserving the integrity of the competition surface and allowing athletes year around access to train. The University of Arkansas' assistant AD of facilities said at the time, "The track's reputation as one of the fastest indoor tracks in

2809-405: Was married to the former Ellen Elias of Bayonne, New Jersey and has two children, Heather and Sean. McDonnell died in Fayetteville on June 7, 2021. Walter Dix Walter Dix (born January 31, 1986 ) is a retired American sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters . He is the seventh-fastest 200-meter runner ever with a best of 19.53 seconds, and has broken

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