Mike Conley inducted into Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame
EUGENE, Oregon – The second-annual Collegiate Track & Field and Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame induction ceremony held Thursday evening included Arkansas alum Mike Conley among a 14-member class at the Hult Center for Performing Arts.
The event showcased the extraordinary talent from a group of athletes who produced 70 national collegiate titles, 39 world records, and eight Olympic or World Championship medals as collegians.
Nearly 40 years after his reign with the Razorbacks, Conley is still regarded as one of the most dominate jumpers in history. Throughout his collegiate career, Conley amassed a total of 62 points at NCAA Championships, making him the highest-scoring male field eventer in the history of the competition.
Conley becomes the second Razorback to be inducted in the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame, joining Erick Walder, the long-standing collegiate record holder in the long jump, who was part of the inaugural class in 2022.
A legendary status in the sport enables Conley to stand out alongside other 2023 inductees such as Michael Carter (SMU), Edwin Moses (Morehouse), Renaldo Nehemiah (Maryland), and Dave Wottle (Bowling Green).
Additional members of the 2023 class include Dyrol Burleson (Oregon), Joetta Clark Diggs (Tennessee), Sheila Hudson (California), Holli Hyche (Indiana State), Sonia O’Sullivan (Villanova), Julie Shea Sutton (NC State), Seilala (Sua) Zumbado (UCLA), John Thomas (Boston Univ.), and Wyomia Tyus (Tennessee State).
The journey to greatness for Conley began when he won his first NCAA title as a sophomore in 1983, claiming the indoor triple jump title. Success continued during junior and senior seasons as he captured eight more titles in a remarkable fashion.
In 1984, Conley made history by becoming the first athlete to sweep all four available single-year horizontal jump titles in the NCAA as he won long jump and triple jump titles at NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor meets.
Conley replicated the incredible double-double feat in 1985 while also displaying his prowess on the track, finishing as the runner-up in the 200m and contributing to a six-place finish by Arkansas in the 4 x 100m relay.
Outstanding performances by Conley played significant roles in national team championships earned by the Razorbacks in 1985 during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Conley contributed 20 points indoors and 28.75 points outdoors in NCAA Championship meets.
With a cross country national team title in the fall of 1984, Arkansas achieved its first NCAA Triple Crown with the pair of 1985 track and field titles.
On the conference level, the Razorbacks totaled eight Southwest Conference team championships from 1982 to 1985, sweeping indoor and outdoor titles during Conley’s time at Arkansas.
As a collegian, Conley collected medals at the inaugural World Championships in 1983, where he claimed bronze in the long jump. With 1984 an Olympic year and the Games being held in Los Angeles, Conley improved to a silver medal performance in the triple jump.
Those achievements cemented Conley’s reputation as a formidable international competitor in both jumping events that spanned far into the next decade.
