Michael Alex Conley, Sr. (born October 5, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American track and field athlete who competed primarily in the triple jump and the long jump. He is a gold and silver Olympic medalist and world champion in the triple jump.
[edit] Competitive career
Conley competed collegiately at the University of Arkansas where he won 16 NCAA long jump and triple jump titles. Conley still owns the U.S. indoor record in the triple jump at 17.76 meters (58 feet, 3.25 inches).
Conley received the USATF Jim Thorpe award in 1986 and 1992 as the top field events athlete in the US.[1] In 2004, Conley was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[2]
A 5'11" basketball player at the point guard position in high school and in college (only during his freshman year[3]), Conley relied on those skills in winning the Foot Locker Celebrity Slam Dunk Contest in 1988, '89 and '92.
[edit] Post-competitive career
Conley was President and remains on the Board of Directors of World Sport Chicago,[4] the "living legacy" of Chicago's 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Bid, that focuses on promoting and developing sport programs and events for the youth of Chicago. Chicago had been selected as the US entry into the bid process. Previously, he was the executive director of the High Performance program of USA Track and Field.[5]
Conley is member of the Conley family and the father of Memphis Grizzlies basketball player Mike Conley, Jr. and the older brother of former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Steve Conley. Conley has registered with the NBA as an agent and represented his son and his son's Ohio State teammates Greg Oden and Daequan Cook when they entered the league. Oden officially declared for the NBA draft by signing with Mike Conley, Sr., as his agent and was subsequently chosen as the number one player in the 2007 NBA Draft. Conley, Jr., was selected fourth overall. Cook was drafted 21st.[6]
In late December 2007, Conley was accused by KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas of purchasing a Cadillac Escalade for Arkansas junior running back Darren McFadden, which would have jeopardized McFadden's status as an amateur athlete for the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic and a possible senior season. KARK later retracted the report and apologized to Conley.[7]
[edit] Rankings
Conley had a particularly long and prolific career and he was considered among the world's best for over a decade. Track and Field News ranked him among the top ten triple jumpers in the world 14 consecutive years (six times as world's best) and seven times in the long jump.[8][9][10][11]
| Year |
TJ world rank |
TJ US rank |
LJ world rank |
LJ US rank |
| 1982 |
- |
5th |
- |
6th |
| 1983 |
4th |
2nd |
4th |
4th |
| 1984 |
1st |
1st |
- |
5th |
| 1985 |
2nd |
2nd |
2nd |
2nd |
| 1986 |
1st |
1st |
4th |
3rd |
| 1987 |
2nd |
1st |
7th |
4th |
| 1988 |
5th |
1st |
- |
5th |
| 1989 |
1st |
1st |
5th |
4th |
| 1990 |
3rd |
2nd |
- |
- |
| 1991 |
3rd |
2nd |
- |
- |
| 1992 |
1st |
1st |
8th |
6th |
| 1993 |
1st |
1st |
- |
8th |
| 1994 |
1st |
1st |
- |
- |
| 1995 |
9th |
1st |
- |
- |
| 1996 |
4th |
2nd |
8th |
6th |
Conley was also ranked 8th in the US in the 200 meter dash in 1985.[12]
| Persondata |
| Name |
Conley, Mike Sr. |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Athletics (sport) competitor, triple jumper, long jumper |
| Date of birth |
October 5, 1962 |
| Place of birth |
Chicago, Illinois |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
United States
