Sports / Politics
Hayes Jones
born 1938 · hurdler, public official
Pontiac-raised hurdler who won Olympic gold in the 110 meters hurdles in Tokyo in 1964 and later led metro Detroit's suburban bus system.
- Born
Starkville, Mississippi
age 88- Birth name
- Hayes Wendell Jones
- Detroit years
- 1940s–present
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Born in Mississippi, Hayes Jones grew up in Pontiac, the Oakland County auto city north of Detroit, and became a star hurdler at Pontiac Central High School and Eastern Michigan University. One of the fastest starters the event has seen, he won the bronze medal in the 110 meters hurdles at the 1960 Rome Olympics and set records indoors, where he went unbeaten for years. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics he won the gold medal. After competing he built a long career in business and public service: he worked for American Airlines, ran a baggage check-in service at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, served as New York City's director of recreation in the late 1960s and later as Oakland County's director of economic development and community affairs, ran for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2006 and, from 2007, served as general manager of SMART, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation. He has remained a familiar figure in Pontiac.
Highlights
- Olympic champion in the 110 meters hurdles, Tokyo 1964
- Olympic bronze medal, Rome 1960
- Starred at Eastern Michigan University
- General manager of SMART, metro Detroit's suburban bus system, from 2007