My 8-yr old son's essay on Bob "Bullet" Hayes

[Woods]

Given that the Summer Olympics are in London this year, my son's English teacher asked each student to do a 1 page essay on their favourite Olympian. Needless to say, I had a suggestion for my son . . . . Thought some of you may enjoy the read.
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Bob “Bullet” Hayes
December 1942 – September 2002
USA Olympic 100m Sprinter and Professional American Football Player



Bob “Bullet” Hayes was an American track and field athlete. He was excellent in college in both track and American football in Florida A&M University. Bob Hayes was once considered the world’s fastest man because he held world records in the 60-yard, 100-yard, and 220-yard dashes. Hayes is the only man with both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring for playing American football. Hayes was the first runner to run the 100-yard dash in 9.1 seconds. At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Hayes won the 100m dash and broke the world record. Hayes then won a second gold medal in the relay, which was also a world record at that time.

After the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Bob Hayes was picked by the Dallas Cowboys to play American football. The Dallas Cowboys are my favorite sports team. Bob Hayes holds many records for the Dallas Cowboys. Other teams could not catch him when he caught the ball because he was so fast. I enjoy watching Bob Hayes’ highlights on Youtube, and I also collect his football cards. Bob Hayes played for the Dallas Cowboys for most of his football career. Because Bob Hayes was such a good American football player, he was placed into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bob Hayes was six feet tall and weighed 190 lbs. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida in the United States of America. He was the youngest of three children in a poor family. Bob Hayes’ became even poorer when his father fought in World War II and came home in a wheelchair. Bob Hayes’ father did not want his son to be an athlete. He wanted Bob to shine shoes and stay near him. But Bob Hayes was a very fast runner even in high school. One day his high school coach asked Bob to run track. At Bob Hayes’s first high school track meet, he entered seven events, the 100, 220, 440, and 880 yard dashes, the sprint relay, high jump, and long jump, and he won them all! No one could beat him in high school. Not even the older boys. Bullet Bob always won. Bob Hayes also played American football in high school, and got a football scholarship for Florida A&M University offered. When Bob Hayes filled out the college application he wrote, “I want to be a professional football player and better the conditions of my family”.

Bob Hayes also died in Jacksonville, Florida when he was 59 years old. He died of a disease called cancer.



Sources: Wikipedia, www.sports-reference.com, www.sports.jrank.org

[Red Dragon]

Your son should write for the Dallas Morning News or Fort Worth Star-Telegram some day. He'd probably be much better than their sports reporters.

[Woods]

Originally Posted by Red Dragon

Your son should write for the Dallas Morning News or Fort Worth Star-Telegram some day. He'd probably be much better than their sports reporters.

Yhea, he actually had to dig up some research.

[THUMPER]

Shake you son's hand for me and tell him, "Well done!".

[Sarge]

Bravo!




Well done!

[Hostile]

Originally Posted by THUMPER

Shake you son's hand for me and tell him, "Well done!".

Echo this.

[J-DOG]

I love this thread. Bravo!
Nice to see the young fans of today remembering the great past of players and of great athlete's period.

When I was younger I found out about Billy Mills and Bob Beamon that way.

[wittenacious]

When I was a kid, I would have sworn this factual part of the essay was wrong:

"Bob Hayes was six feet tall and weighed 190 lbs."

When I first saw "Bullet" Bob Hayes on TV, I could've sworn he was dang near ten feet tall. LOL. Childhood perception, I know. I admit I looked at him through some "big eyes," having been immediately star-struck when I first became aware of who he was and saw how impressively he played. Something unmistakeably great about him, even to me as a kid.

Great write-up by your 8-year old son, Woods, about my very first Cowboys hero. Bob Hayes was my first emotionally-connected awareness of the Dallas Cowboys, the start of my lifelong, diehard 'Boys fan experience.

Loved the way "Bullet" played the game, his post-retirement personal problems notwithstanding.

[67CowboysFan]

That should be framed and mounted on the wall. Excellent!