DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just Duane, doing my best to do it justice. Now, picture the south Texas borderlands, Cameron County, cotton fields stretching out flat and wide under a hard blue sky. Out near Rangerville, on a 600-acre farm, in a simple clapboard house, that's where Bobby Joe Morrow came into the world in 1935.
His father was Bob Floyd Morrow, his mother Mattie Lucille, and the land they worked was cotton land, honest and unyielding. And here's where the story gets its first good beat — the marker says Bobby Joe Morrow began running by chasing jackrabbits. Just let that sit there a moment.
No starting blocks, no coach with a stopwatch. Just a boy and a jackrabbit and however many acres of Texas they had between them. He went to San Benito High School, played football, and in 1951 started competing in track and field.
The boy could run. Won the state championship in the 100-yard dash — twice. Won the state championship in the 220-yard dash.
That's the kind of resume that gets a town talking. After high school he headed up to Abilene Christian College, and that's where a man named Oliver Jackson became his coach. Now Coach Jackson gave an interview at some point, and what he said ought to be carved somewhere — maybe it already is.
He said, quote, Bobby had fluidity of motion like nothing I've ever seen. He could run a 220 with a root beer float on his head and never spill a drop. End quote.
I don't know about you, but I believe that man. Morrow went on to win around 80 sprint championships at Abilene Christian, including the AAU championship in the 100-meter dash — and he did that as a freshman. Then came 1956.
Melbourne, Australia. The Olympic Games. Bobby Joe Morrow was 20 years old.
He had a personal hero going into those Games — a fellow American named Jesse Owens, born 1913, died 1980. Owens had done something no man had matched. And Bobby Joe Morrow, 20 years old, from a clapboard house on a cotton farm near Rangerville, Texas — he matched it.
Three gold medals: the 100-meter, the 200-meter, and the 4x100 meter relay. First man since Jesse Owens to win all three events. Only two men since Morrow have matched the feat.
And while he was at it, he tied the world record for the 200-meter dash — 20.6 seconds. International acclaim followed. His face appeared on the covers of Life and Sports Illustrated.
He went on to set 14 world records. The Texas Sports Hall of Fame claimed him. The U.S.
Track and Field Hall of Fame claimed him. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame claimed him.
He did not compete in the 1960 Olympics. And after that, Bobby Joe Morrow came back to Texas. Back to the family farm.
He maintained a quiet life there until his death in 2020. A boy who started by chasing jackrabbits, ended up the fastest man on earth. And then he came home.
That's a Texas story if I've ever told one.
What the marker says
Born in nearby Rangerville to Bob Floyd (1907-1983) and Mattie Lucille (1908-1996) Morrow, Bobby Joe Morrow (1935-2020) grew up in a simple clapboard house on a 600-acre cotton farm. Morrow began running by chasing jackrabbits. He attended San Benito High School where he played football and, in 1951, started competing in track and field. Morrow won state championships in the 100-yard dash (twice) and the 220-yard dash. After high school, he attended Abilene Christian College where he won around 80 sprint championships, including the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship in the 100-meter dash when he was a freshman. His coach, Oliver Jackson, said in an interview, "Bobby had fluidity of motion like nothing I've ever seen. He could run a 220 with a root beer float on his head and never spill a drop." During college, he competed in the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia. At the age of just 20, he won three gold medals for the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100 meter relay, becoming the first man since fellow American and his personal hero, Jesse Owens (1913-1980), to win all three events. Only two men since Morrow have matched the feat. His Olympic performance also tied the world record for the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.6 seconds. Morrow received international acclaim for the achievement. He went on to set 14 world records and appear on the covers of famous magazines including Life and Sports Illustrated. Morrow is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. After not participating in the 1960 Olympics, he returned to the family farm and maintained a quiet life in Texas until his death. (2022)