Personal information | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Columbus, North Carolina, U.S. | December 29, 1951||||||||||||||
Died | December 3, 2022 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 70)||||||||||||||
Education | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | ||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | university president, academic administrator, researcher | ||||||||||||||
Employer(s) |
University of South Alabama University of Central Florida University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | ||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||
Sport | Track & Field | ||||||||||||||
Retired | 1976 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Tony Waldrop (December 29, 1951 – December 3, 2022) was an American academic administrator, researcher, and athlete. [1] [2] In 2014, he became the third president of the University of South Alabama. [1] [2]
Waldrop was born in Columbus, North Carolina. [3] [4] In high school, he was the state champion in the half mile. [5]
Waldrop attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar and served on the track team. [3] [1] He graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in political science as a Top Five NCAA Student Athlete. [3]
In 1980, he received a MA in physical education from UNC, followed by a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular physiology in 1981. [3] [5] He received postdoctoral training at the Harry S. Moss Heart Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. [3]
When he was a freshman member of UNC's track team, he had never run more than seven miles in one session. [5] Nevertheless, he followed the coaching staff's instruction to run ten miles in the morning and ten miles in the evening. [5] After a week, his arches collapsed and he was on crutches. [5]
Waldrop was a six-time Atlantic Coast Conference winner and six-time All-American while at the University of North Carolina. [3] [4] He set the world indoor record (3:55.0) in the mile in 1974. [3] He won two NCAA championships: the indoor 1,000 yards in 1973 and the indoor mile in 1974. [3] [4]
Waldrop ran the mile in 3:53.2 for a win at the Penn Relays in 1974. [4] [6] He was on the cover of Track and Field News in both March and May 1974; the latter feature him at the Penn Relays. [7] [6] He also was the first man to break the 4-minute mile in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in 1974. [8] [4]
In 1975, he became the assistant track coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [6] That same year, he won the gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City for the 1500 meters. [6] He retired from track after the 1976 indoor season. [6] [9]
Waldrop said, "It was a really easy decision to decide to hang up the shoes and get on with the rest of my life. I never regretted the decision [to retire during the Olympic year], maybe there were one or two seconds of momentarily regret when I watched the 1500m at the Olympics... I accomplished a lot more in track than I ever imagined I would. There were a lot more things I wanted to do with my life…" [6]
Waldrop went to the U.S. Olympic trials in 1972—he said the pressure was so great that it wasn't fun. [6] As a result, making the Olympic team after college was "never an overwhelming goal." [6]
From 1982 to 1986, Waldrop was a research fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. [3] He was a recipient of the National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship. [1] While at Texas, he also taught respiration and physiology for medical and health science students. [3]
Waldrop was a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, teaching undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. [3] He was promoted to vice chancellor for research at Illinois. [3] [4]
Waldrop became vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001. [3] There, he oversaw $577 million in research funding, annually. [6]
In August 2010, he became provost and executive vice president at the University of Central Florida. [10] In 2014, he became the third president of the University of South Alabama. [1]
Waldrop married Julee Briscoe of Chapel Hill, the daughter of Vic Briscoe who was a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor of physics. [3] She also attended UNC and ran track. [3] They have two sons, Cabe and Dallas. [3]
On December 3, 2022, following a lengthy illness, Waldrop died at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at the age of 70. [11] [12]
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cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Columbus, North Carolina, U.S. | December 29, 1951||||||||||||||
Died | December 3, 2022 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 70)||||||||||||||
Education | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | ||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | university president, academic administrator, researcher | ||||||||||||||
Employer(s) |
University of South Alabama University of Central Florida University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | ||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||
Sport | Track & Field | ||||||||||||||
Retired | 1976 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Tony Waldrop (December 29, 1951 – December 3, 2022) was an American academic administrator, researcher, and athlete. [1] [2] In 2014, he became the third president of the University of South Alabama. [1] [2]
Waldrop was born in Columbus, North Carolina. [3] [4] In high school, he was the state champion in the half mile. [5]
Waldrop attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar and served on the track team. [3] [1] He graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in political science as a Top Five NCAA Student Athlete. [3]
In 1980, he received a MA in physical education from UNC, followed by a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular physiology in 1981. [3] [5] He received postdoctoral training at the Harry S. Moss Heart Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. [3]
When he was a freshman member of UNC's track team, he had never run more than seven miles in one session. [5] Nevertheless, he followed the coaching staff's instruction to run ten miles in the morning and ten miles in the evening. [5] After a week, his arches collapsed and he was on crutches. [5]
Waldrop was a six-time Atlantic Coast Conference winner and six-time All-American while at the University of North Carolina. [3] [4] He set the world indoor record (3:55.0) in the mile in 1974. [3] He won two NCAA championships: the indoor 1,000 yards in 1973 and the indoor mile in 1974. [3] [4]
Waldrop ran the mile in 3:53.2 for a win at the Penn Relays in 1974. [4] [6] He was on the cover of Track and Field News in both March and May 1974; the latter feature him at the Penn Relays. [7] [6] He also was the first man to break the 4-minute mile in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in 1974. [8] [4]
In 1975, he became the assistant track coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [6] That same year, he won the gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City for the 1500 meters. [6] He retired from track after the 1976 indoor season. [6] [9]
Waldrop said, "It was a really easy decision to decide to hang up the shoes and get on with the rest of my life. I never regretted the decision [to retire during the Olympic year], maybe there were one or two seconds of momentarily regret when I watched the 1500m at the Olympics... I accomplished a lot more in track than I ever imagined I would. There were a lot more things I wanted to do with my life…" [6]
Waldrop went to the U.S. Olympic trials in 1972—he said the pressure was so great that it wasn't fun. [6] As a result, making the Olympic team after college was "never an overwhelming goal." [6]
From 1982 to 1986, Waldrop was a research fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. [3] He was a recipient of the National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship. [1] While at Texas, he also taught respiration and physiology for medical and health science students. [3]
Waldrop was a professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, teaching undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. [3] He was promoted to vice chancellor for research at Illinois. [3] [4]
Waldrop became vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001. [3] There, he oversaw $577 million in research funding, annually. [6]
In August 2010, he became provost and executive vice president at the University of Central Florida. [10] In 2014, he became the third president of the University of South Alabama. [1]
Waldrop married Julee Briscoe of Chapel Hill, the daughter of Vic Briscoe who was a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor of physics. [3] She also attended UNC and ran track. [3] They have two sons, Cabe and Dallas. [3]
On December 3, 2022, following a lengthy illness, Waldrop died at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at the age of 70. [11] [12]
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link)