Ralph Boston, Tennessee State: Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame, Class of 2022

Ralph Boston’s greatness was just beginning when he won the NCAA Championships long jump title in 1960. That summer he went on to break the world record set by Jesse Owens in 1935 while qualifying for the Rome Olympics, where he won the gold medal.

His senior season of 1961 saw him break the indoor WR three times, but that was just a prelude for his outdoor season. Boston recorded the first 27-foot long jump a week before nearly winning the NAIA team title for Tennessee State all by himself with four wins and a tie for second. In July he improved his long jump WR to 8.28m (27-2) in winning the U.S.-USSR dual meet in Moscow.