Pam Oliver...50-flat 400m runner?

Hmmmm...it could be checked it with a bit of research. She certainly couldn't do it now by the looks of her. Put on a little weight, hasn't she?

Did not happen.

This just shows how little our sport is respected. And how ignorant most people are about it. Allyson Felix didn't run 50-flat in 2010 and Debbie Dunn only broke 50 twice. Pam Oliver ran a time that would have led the US Women's List most years out of the past 25, but she can't remember when and where?! And no one will call her out on this because nobody cares about track in the US.

I've seen her around town the last few days since she's her for the Super Bowl, I'll just ask her. She's actually fairly cool.

If her maiden name was Pam Marshall, it could be true. Someone by that name did a 49.99 in 1986.

Okay, I checked. That's not her. There's no other "Pam" in the top 50 U.S. all-time, which goes to 51.14.

she probably ran a 53 in practice and her coach told her it was a 50. that interview was painful to read.

Wow There wrote:

If her maiden name was Pam Marshall, it could be true. Someone by that name did a 49.99 in 1986.

Pam Marshall was a the anchor of the USA 1987 4x100m squad that won at the World Champs in Italy. She was also 4th in the 200m that year.

She is NOT Pam Oliver.

Pam Oliver went to Florida A&M, where she was an All-American in the 400m and the 4 x 4. She may have split 50.X at some point, but her open PR is slower than 51.15.

The USA All-time list, (54 runners) goes to 51.15, and Pam Oliver is not on it.

Judging by her graduation year, she likely qualified for the 1984 Olympic Trials.

If she qualified, she didn't run.

pg. 204 lists the 400m, heats and all, and pam oliver is not on there.

She was #23 on the 1984 US list with 53.02. That's the year she graduated from Florida A&M and decided to quit competing - reportedly skipping the Trials.

That's the only time I find her on the US top 50 yearly lists.

Apparently she still had the Florida A&M record until 2005. But the site that said that didn't say what the record was.

50?

53?

It's all in the same ball park.

Sort of like 4:20 or 3:59 for the mile?

So close

And so.............................far

That sweetbaby would have to lose about 40 lbs to have a prayer of running a 70 second 400.

The most important part is she got the "flat" part right!

laker wrote:

50?

53?

It's all in the same ball park.

Sort of like 4:20 or 3:59 for the mile?

So close

And so.............................far

Er... wrote:

This just shows how little our sport is respected. And how ignorant most people are about it. Allyson Felix didn't run 50-flat in 2010 and Debbie Dunn only broke 50 twice. Pam Oliver ran a time that would have led the US Women's List most years out of the past 25, but she can't remember when and where?! And no one will call her out on this because nobody cares about track in the US.

This!!!!!

If she had run 50 flat she would have remembered when & where. Do you realize how fast 50 flat is THEN & NOW.

I believe other parts of her story about quitting track for journalism and not running the trials.

But that is a 53 flat runner talking; not a 50.

Also, was Florida A&M NCAA Div. I back in 1984....Pam talks about being All-American.

I like her talking about her NFL sidelines reporting gig; good info there.

she should be called out for this statement. people think our sport is easy but they have no idea what it takes and what it means to have talent in track and field. Let's get Larry Rawson to say he dunked on Hakeem Olajuwan. I'd love to have the public watch these commentators compete in a pentathlon against some 8th graders and then have them play a pick up game against 8th graders. Maybe ttrack and field would get a bit more respect

She obviously was a talented runner but the kind that quits when other opportunities arise and "moves on" with some indifference towards the sport they worked semi-hard to achieve in. The article goes between the time being "fast enough to make the team" and "a million other girls having that mark", which is consistent with the "team" being the Olympic Trials qualifiers, and "the mark" being 53-low. One wonders if she even bothered to watch the Trials or even the Olympic 400 final.

Of course, decades later, when the college career is part of a "jock resume", things fudged to "50-flat" "almost went to the Olympics", etc..

silly old fossil wrote:

But that is a 53 flat runner talking; not a 50.

Also, was Florida A&M NCAA Div. I back in 1984....Pam talks about being All-American.

Unclear.

The divisions for women's sports weren't as defined in the early 80s. The FAMU football team has been 1-AA since the late 70s (they won the first 1-AA national champ in football in 1978).

The women's track team was 3rd in the AIAW National Champs in 1981, with Oliver on the team.

The AIAW, sort of the pre-cursor to the NCAA, did have divisions, but it is unclear where FAMU placed at that time. A lot of teams were D1 in one sport and a different division in others. It was simply up to the school to decide which division they wanted to compete in.

Here's a link to the FAMU booster guide:

If you scroll down to "Rattler Legends Gallery" you've got a pic of Oliver in her running gear, and a little bit of bio info.

I should have made clear yesterday that I like Pam Oliver. And 53.02 is a hell of a time. But these casual references to former accomplishments always irritate me for the same reasons that a couple of you have said--they make our sport sound easy and I think they give the impression that the only people who stay competing in track and field are those who don't have other options. Who was the NFL player who recently said he's pretty sure he could beat Bolt? I hung up my spikes with a PR of 4:01, a decent time I guess. But I cringe anytime someone mentions my running past and the fact that I "almost ran a four-minute mile"--I've got to be very careful to remind them that yes, I ran 4:01, for 1500m, and no, that does not mean that I almost ran a four-minute mile.