Maurice Greene (sprinter)
The explosive 'Kansas Cannonball' who owned the sprint world at the turn of the millennium, holding the 100m world record and double Olympic gold.
Born 1974 (age 52)·American sprinter·Birthday: July 23·Generation X
Biography
With a start that sounded like gunfire and a celebration that became his trademark—a finger pointed to the sky as he crossed the line—Maurice Greene announced himself as track and field's new alpha. Emerging in the late 1990s, he brought a swagger and sheer speed that dominated the sprint lanes. In 1999, he achieved a legendary triple at the World Championships, winning the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, a feat of power and versatility. His 100m world record of 9.79 seconds, set in Athens, stood for three years. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he fulfilled his destiny, capturing gold in the 100m and the 4x100m relay, cementing his status as the planet's fastest man. Greene's era was defined by his explosive power out of the blocks and his ability to perform under the brightest lights, making him the defining sprinter of his generation.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Maurice was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Maurice Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Maurice's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1987Became a teenager
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
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Set the 100m world record of 9.79 seconds in 1999, a mark that stood until 2002.
- Won the Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters and the 4x100m relay at the 2000 Sydney Games.
- Completed an unprecedented triple at the 1999 World Championships, winning gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.
- Was a five-time World Champion across various sprint events between 1997 and 2001.
Did You Know?
His nickname was 'The Kansas Cannonball,' a nod to his explosive power and his training base in Lawrence, Kansas.
He had a large tattoo of a lion on his back, with the Olympic rings and the words 'GOAT' (Greatest Of All Time).
After retiring, he founded a successful track club, MO Greene Academy, to train future sprinters.
“I just go out there and do what I do. I'm the fastest man in the world.”
