Milan Tiff
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
| Representing United States | ||
| Pan American Games | ||
| 1975 Mexico City | Triple jump | |
Milan Tiff (born July 5, 1949) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the triple jump. He earned a bronze medal in the event at the 1975 Pan American Games.[1] A contemporary of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at UCLA, Tiff was ranked in the world top ten in 1975 and 1977.[2]
During the mid-1970s, Tiff converted to Islam. He briefly competed under the name Caleb Abdul Rahman, appearing as such at the 1975 Pan American Games, the 1976 Olympic trials, and the national championships in 1976 and 1977. However, he returned to using his birth name, Milan Tiff, by the 1978 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Tiff later explained that his name change was not religiously motivated, stating, "I just did it because it sounded cool".[3]
Early life and career
A childhood victim of Osgood-Schlatter disease, he did not walk until he was age 8.[4] He went on to become the first American to jump 57 feet while winning his second USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[5]
Growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, June 1968, set a state of Ohio high school triple jump record at 49’-11”.[6][7] 1969, he first attended college at Miami University Ohio.[8] March 1970 (in Detroit) Tiff won the NCAA championship triple jump.[9] Later, switching to UCLA to work with Jim Bush, where he was a teammate of John Smith and Dwight Stones.[10] While there he won the 1973 NCAA Championship in the Triple Jump.[11] Later he joined Bush as an assistant coach[12] After completing UCLA, he was a member of the Southern California Striders.
Tiff was known for his unusual training methods, including visiting the Sierra Nevada annually to chase deer and bears in preparation for the triple jump.[13] During commuting hours at busy Los Angeles intersections, he would triple jump across the crosswalk rather than walk.[14]
A talented painter,[15] he spends many hours working on art. He approaches many other activities with an artistic perspective. Like several athletes of his era he acted in the 1982 movie Personal Best. Later he trained Emilio Estevez for two of his mid-1990s film roles. He has continued to train athletes at UCLA including many NBA players.[16] In 1991 he wrote a book on his own form of exercise called "Traveling light: an original form of exercise".[17] He was later credited on James Ingram's album "It's Real" as "giving us the map."
In 1979, he was inducted into the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame.[18]
Tiff's father Benjamin ran on the East Technical High School (Cleveland) sprint relay team with Jesse Owens.[19]
Tiff's sister, Michele Tiff-Hill was a 1984 Olympic Trials Qualifier in the Marathon.[20]
Olympic Trials
Tiff placed 10th at the 1972 trials, and competed in the rounds at the 1976 trials.[21]
Masters
Tiff expected to retire from the sport after the Olympics, but continues to jump in Masters athletics events into his 60s. He has held several Masters World Records as he has passed through the age groups. In 2009, small gust of wind is all that prevented him from equalling the M60 world record.[22]
As a Masters athlete, Tiff officially has three Masters World Records plus one Masters American Record; and have meet records at the Masters SCA, Masters West Region, Striders Meet of Champions, and the Grandfather Games.[23]
References
- ^ "Pan Am Games". www.gbrathletics.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "World Rankings Index — Men's Triple Jump" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ "Lights turn on and baseballs just disappear". Boca Raton News. 1 Nov 1991. p. 27. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "Triple Jumper Milan Tiff Puzzles the Track World with His Art, His Friends and His Ideas". People Magazine. 1979-04-30. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
- ^ "USATF - Statistics - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions". Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2011-10-22. USATF National Championships
- ^ Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio, June 17, 1968. [1] Retrieved May 5, 2021
- ^ Ohio Track and Field News. [2] Retrieved May 5, 2021
- ^ http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/champs_records_book/1999-00/m_idtrack.pdf NCAA Results
- ^ Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio, Mar 22, 1970. [3] Retrieved May 12, 2021
- ^ "UCLA BRUINS - Athletics News". Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-03-18. UCLA of the 1970s
- ^ "Division I Men - Results" (PDF). web1.ncaa.org. NCAA.
- ^ "Milan Tiff (horizontal jumping), Barbara Ferrell Edmonson..." Los Angeles Times. 24 July 1990. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
- ^ "There's Madness in His Method". Los Angeles Times. 1 Feb 1977. p. 38. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "Odd Tuneups for Times Games". Los Angeles Times. 1 Feb 1977. p. 42. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ^ "Richard L. Nelson Gallery: Shared Histories: African American Art from Local Collections". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2010-02-13. UC Davis showing
- ^ "Arenas' fast track might run over warriors - Insider - basketball player Gilbert Arenas". Sporting News. 2003-02-24. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11.
- ^ "Traveling light journal with quotations from the book by Max Lucado, In green pastures". Archived from the original on 2012-10-09.
- ^ "Milan Tiff, Event: Triple Jump". Archived from the original on 2017-06-13.
- ^ Sports Illustrated, July 30, 1979. [4] Retrieved May 13, 2021
- ^ Fleet Feet,Feb. 2, 2022. [5] Retrieved Feb. 26, 2022
- ^ The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field, Richard Hymans. [6] Archived 2019-05-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Feb 26, 2022
- ^ "USATF Western Region Masters Championships - Results". June 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2010-02-13. USATF West Region
- ^ Milan Tiff Brief Highlights, May 01, 2023.[7] Retrieved May 1, 2023
External links
Milan Tiff at IMDb