| |
A star athlete Alfredrick "Al" Joyner attended Arkansas State
University. He competed with their
track and field team throughout his
college career, and by the time he
graduated Al was a three-time NCAA
All-American indoor champion, a
three-time NCAA All-American outdoor
champion, a four-time Southland
Conference champ and had placed 8th
in the triple jump at the World
Championships in
Helsinki,
Finland.
In 1984, Al traveled to
Los Angeles
for the Summer Games to compete with
the U.S. Olympic track and field
team. With a leap of 56'-7.5", he
became the first American in 80
years to win a gold medal in the
triple jump. Al was also honored
with the Jim Thorpe Award, which is
given every four years to the best
American competitor in an Olympic
Field Event. That same year, Al
cheered his sister Jackie Joyner
Kersee as she competed in the
heptathlon. When she captured a
silver in the event, they became the
first sibling teammates in U.S.
history to medal during the same
Olympics...>>> Book
Al Joyner for Your Event
On
October 10, 1987 Al married track legend Florence Griffith,
later known as Flo Jo. The two met
in 1980 at the Olympic trials
registration and felt an instant
connection. Al later assisted his
brother-in-law, Bob Kersee, in
coaching
Florence
to gold medals in the 100, 200 and
400-meter relay. Sadly, to the shock
of Al and the couple's daughter Mary
Ruth,
Florence
died from an epileptic seizure at
the age of 38 in 1998.
After his wife's tragic death, Al
began traveling to promote her newly
published book, "Running for
Dummies," and jump-start the
Florence Griffith Joyner
charity/scholarship fund. He also
began directing the Flo Jo Community
Empowerment Foundation, an
organization dedicated to making
dreams come true for the youth
around the world. One dollar from
every sale of "Running for Dummies"
is donated to this foundation.
For demonstrating excellence on and
off the track, Al has been inducted
into the Arkansas State University
Track and Field Hall of Fame (1993),
the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of
Fame (1997) and the Illinois Track
and Field Hall of Fame (1999). He
was hired by SportsToday.com to
write columns on track and field for
the 2000 Olympic games in
Sydney,
Australia. During this time, Al also
coached two athletes with their
sights on the 2000 U.S. Olympic
Track and Field team, and was
himself training to compete in the
men's triple jump trials.
Unfortunately, a knee injury
prevented him from participating.
With 15 years of coaching experience
under his belt, Al joined the
University of California UCLA in Los
Angeles' track and field staff as an
Assistant Coach/Women's Jumps Coach
in August 2000. "Al Joyner brings to
our program world-class experience
and recognition in the jumps, both
as a competitor and coach," said
Jeanette Bolden, UCLA's head women's
coach. "I have known Al since 1983.
I have always found him to be an
extremely hard worker who is
enthusiastic and very knowledgeable
about the jumps."
>>> Book Al Joyner for Your Event
|
