Ralph Mann

Who is Ralph Mann?

Ralph Mann was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 meter hurdles. He was an undergraduate at Brigham Young University, and later earned a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from the Washington State University. His son, Randall Mann, is an award-winning poet and literary critic. He also has a daughter, Amber Murphy.

In 1969, Mann won his first NCAA 440 intermediate hurdles championship with a time of 49.6 seconds. Tying the NCAA and American records, the time was three-tenths of a second off the world record. A year later in Des Moines, Iowa, Mann captured his second NCAA championship and set a new world record time of 48.8 seconds for the 440 intermediate hurdles.

During his collegiate career Ralph was NCAA champion three times. He was a three-time All-American, and in 1970 was second in the voting for the Sullivan Award.

He competed for the United States in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany, in the 400 meter hurdles where he won the silver medal. Ralph was a five-time AAU champion. He received the AAU’s DiBenedetto Award for the single most outstanding career, most notably for his Olympic silver medal.