While there have been many great track and field athletes over the last 80+ years, only one man has times that rank in the top two of all time in three catagories and that man is Jefferson's James Jett. At one point, he held the metric distance records in every sprint distance from 100 meters through 400 meters and still holds the latter two. He ranks third on our all time lists using both the exclusive and inclusive methods. The fact that his 200 meter PR of 21.39 came in the trails kept him from being at the top of the list using those methods but most believe he is the fastest man to ever take to the track in West Virginia in any era (college included). He went on to win a gold medal in the olympic games as a member of the 4x100 relay team, running for the team and helping it advance through the trial rounds. He was also the top scorer for class AAA in the 1980's. Finally, he was the only athlete to be selected for our final review list that met all four of our search criteria. His excellence in three events gave him the edge over others on the list and made him our number one choice.
Although his college and international accomplishments did not factor in our list, it is worth noting those here. He has now played as a wide receiver in the NFL for the last nine season for the Oakland Raiders and won the NFL's fastest man competition in 1996. He was 5th in the 100 meter finals at the olympic trials in 1992. He was a seven time all american in track at WVU and held five WVU records. He was second in the NCAA in the outdoor 100 and 200 meter finals in 1992 and ran the fastest time in the nation that year with a 19.91. In 1991, he was fifth in the nation in both the indoor and outdoor 200 meter runs. In 1990, he was fifth in the indoor 55 meter dash.
State Records Held
100 Meters 1989-1999
200 Meters 1989-Present
400 Meters 1989-Present
State Final PR's
100 Meters 10.74 (10.62 Trials)
200 Meters 21.94 (21.39 Trials)
400 Meters 47.74
4x100 Meters 42.92
4x200 Meters 1:29.98 (1:28.47 Trials)
All Time Lists
2nd, 4th, 6th All Time All Class 100 Meters
2nd, 4th, 6th All Time AAA 100 Meters
1st, 3rd, 5th 80's AAA 100 Meters
4th and 5th 80's AAA 200 Meters
2nd All Time All Class 400 Meters
2nd All Time AAA 400 Meters
1st 80's AAA 400 Meters
2nd All Time All Class 4x100 Meters
2nd All Time AAA 4x100 Meters
2nd 80's AAA 4x100 Meters
All Time High Point
3rd All Time All Class High Point - Inclusive Method
3rd All Time All Class High Point - Exclusive Method
3rd All Time AAA High Point - Inclusive Method
3rd All Time AAA High Point - Exclusive Method
1st 80's AAA High Point - Inclusive Method
1st 80's AAA High Point - Exclusive Method
State Titles
1988 - 100M, 200M, 4x100M, 4x200M, High Point
1989 - 100M, 200M, 400M, High Point
Other State Places
1987 - 100M (2nd), 200M (2nd), 4x200 (3rd)
1989 - 4x100 (4th)