Dave Sime

Who is Dave Sime?

David William "Dave" Sime is an American former sprinter. He never won a major title but he ranked as one of the fastest humans of all time, holding several sprint records during the late 1950s.

Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Sime grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where he attended Fair Lawn High School. Sime came to prominence in 1956 while attending Duke University as a member of the baseball and track and field teams. "The 10". He and fellow American Bobby Morrow had some great duels that year but an injury ruined his Olympic hopes. Four years later, in Rome, he was second in the Olympic 100 m before anchoring the U.S. to a victory in the 4x100 m relay. However, the U.S. team was disqualified for passing out of the zone, and Sime lost his chance at an Olympic gold medal. During his career, he held world records at 100 yd, 220 yd, and the 220 yd low hurdles. After college, Sime became an ophthalmologist in Florida.

Sime came to Duke on a baseball scholarship, and had never run track in his life. The Duke track coach happened to see this long lanky figure while attending a baseball game. He asked permission from Duke's baseball coach to let him work out with the track team.