Francis J. Budd

Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, Budd played high school football at Asbury Park High School in Asbury Park.

Despite liver and kidney problems as a youth, Mr. Budd was an exceptional athlete who starred in baseball, football and track at Asbury Park High School. In 1960, two years after his high school graduation, Mr. Budd competed in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Rome. He placed fifth in the 100-meter dash and was part of the American 100-meter relay quartet that finished in first place in world-record.

While he was a member of the Villanova University track time, Frank Budd established a new world record in the 100-yard dash. time but was disqualified because one of the team members handed off the baton outside the passing zone. The following summer, while a member of the Villanova University track team, which was coached by the legendary Jumbo Elliot, Mr. Budd established a world record in the 100-yard dash with a time of 9.2 seconds during the Amateur Athletic Union championships on Randall’s Island in Manhattan. In doing so, he became widely known as the world’s fastest human, a title he maintained until 1963, when Bob Hayes – another track star who later played in the National Football League – lowered the record to 9.1 seconds. The weekend before Mr. Budd’s record-breaking race, he had won both the 100-yard and 220-yard sprints at the NCAA championship meet in Philadelphia.

In 1962, Mr. Budd gave up a possible opportunity to take part in the 1964 Summer Olympics and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, who had drafted him in the seventh round even though he hadn’t played football while at Villanova. He played in 13 games with the Eagles as a wide receiver and kick returner. The next season, he filled the same roles for the Washington Redskins, before moving to the Canadian Football League, where he was a member of the Calgary Stampeders for three seasons. Once his athletic career ended, Mr. Budd held positions with the Philadelphia parks system and a casino in Atlantic City as well as the NJDOC.