Harvey Glance
An Alabama speedster who anchored America's Olympic relay to gold, then coached a new generation of champions from the sidelines.
1957–2023 (age 66)·American sprinter·Birthday: March 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Harvey Glance exploded onto the track as a college phenomenon, tying the world record for the 100-yard dash while at Auburn University. His blistering speed earned him a spot on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team headed to Montreal. There, though he just missed an individual medal in the 100m, he ran a blistering anchor leg for the 4x100m relay team, securing a gold medal and a world record that stood for two decades. His career spanned the amateur-to-professional transition in track; he competed through the 1980s, adding Pan American and World Championship relay golds to his haul. After hanging up his spikes, Glance channeled his competitive fire into coaching, first at Auburn and later as head coach at Alabama State. He became a respected mentor, known for his intensity and dedication, shaping athletes who would themselves compete on the world stage.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Harvey was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Harvey Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Harvey's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2023Died at 66
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Won an Olympic gold medal and set a world record (37.83 seconds) as anchor of the U.S. 4x100m relay team at the 1976 Montreal Games.
- Tied the world record in the 100-yard dash (9.0 seconds) in 1976 while competing for Auburn University.
- Won gold medals in the 4x100m relay at both the 1979 and 1987 Pan American Games.
- Anchored the U.S. team to gold in the 4x100m relay at the inaugural 1987 World Championships in Rome.
Did You Know?
He was a five-time NCAA champion while running for Auburn University.
He served as the head track and field coach at his alma mater, Auburn University, from 1991 to 1996.
He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Despite his sprint success, he never won an individual medal at the Olympic Games or World Championships.
“You have to get out of the blocks like your pants are on fire.”
