Rod Rudolph

Rod Rudolph, a 5-foot-10 inch senior at Albertville High School, on April 7, 1979, cleared 7-1 in high jump competition in the Rocket City Invitational and became the first Alabama high schooler to break the seven-feet barrier.

One month later, on May 8, 1979, Rod captured first place and tied the state record in the high jump at 6-9 3/4 during the 3A-4A high school track meet at Selma. Rudolph had gone higher than that mark on two previous occasions when he cleared 7-1 at the Rocket City Invitational and 7-0 1/4 at the University of Alabama Invitational. The bar was set at 6-10 in the state meet, but officials re-measured the height after he cleared the mark and determined the bar sagged one-quarter inch, giving him only a tie with the record. Rudolph then tried at 6-11 but failed to clear the bar.

Rod’s state high jump record earned him a trip to New York to receive the Hertz Number One Award. The awards banquet was held at the New York Athletic Club, the same place college football’s Heisman Trophy is presented each year.

The summer before heading to the University of Alabama, Rod was invited to participate in at least four meets featuring the best high school athletes in the United States and the world. In the Atlanta Classic, he set a new meet record at 7-1 1/4 and moments later broke his own record with a jump of 7-2.

As a senior at the University of Alabama, Rudolph finished second in the Southeastern Conference track meet. He had a leap of 7-3. Charles Wilbanks of Georgia won the event with a leap of 7-3, but cleared the mark in fewer attempts than Rudolph.

This two-time All-American jumped a 7-5 Provo, Utah, and placed in the SEC three years. Rudolph qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympic tryouts that were later cancelled, because of the USA boycott.