Crimson Tide Top 5: Men's Track

When Alabama track and field athlete Robert Dunning recently won an individual national title, at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Oregon, it was the program's first since 2014.

That was done by Hayden Reed in the discus.

The Crimson Tide's last indoor national title was by Shelby McEwen in the high jump in 2019.

It made Dunning worthy of being considered among the top-five men's track athletes in Alabama history, especially since he holds the Crimson Tide record in the 110-meter hurdles.

At minimum it puts him on the list of the program's elite athletes, along with the likes of Diondre Batson, Tom Broe, Emmit King, Mats Nilsson, Shelby McEwen, Miguel Pate, Jereem Richards.

They're all close, but just missed.

In putting together these top-five lists for each Crimson Tide sport there's always someone who deserves to be included, but isn't, and for men's track its Keith Talley. A standout in both the short hurdles and the long jump, he's the only Alabama men's track athlete to be the high-point scorer in back-to-back years at the SEC men's outdoor track and field championship (1986-87).

He won the 1987 NCAA indoor title in the 55-meter hurdles and was an All-American in both events.

5] Jan Johnson

Jan Johnson earned the first Olympic medal in UA history, a bronze medal in the pole vault in the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, clearing 17-6 1/2 inches (5.35 meters).

In 1972, he also became the program's first NCAA champion when he won the indoor pole vault title. He won the 1972 indoor and outdoor SEC titles, and was an All-American in both.

Johnson still holds the school outdoors record at 18-0, 1/2.

4] David Kimani

Kimani won two NCAA indoor titles in 2001, the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters, and he also captured the 2001 outdoor title in the 5,000.

He was a five-time indoor All-American.

He was Alabama's the top scorer at the 2001-02 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.

3] Ron Bramlett

Won the 2001 and 2002 NCAA outdoor national titles in the 110-meter hurdles, and also won the 2002 NCAA indoor title in the 60-meter hurdles

Between the indoor and outdoor seasons was a seven-time All-American.

His 60-meter hurdles time of 7.52 seconds is still a Crimson Tide record.

2] Calvin Smith

Smith won a gold medal as part of the 4x100- meter relay team during the 1984 Games in Los Angles, and an individual bronze in the 100 meters at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Smith's gold medal came as part of a relay unit that set a world record of 37.83.

He holds the Alabama men's track record for most outdoor-season All-American selections with seven (100 meters 1980-81, 1983; 200 1982-83; 4x100 relay 1982; 4x400 relay 1983).

He still has the Alabama record in the 100 meters of 9.93 seconds, set July 3, 1983 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

1] Kirani James

On August 6, James won the 400 meters in dominant fashion, with a personal best time of 43.94, at the 2012 Olympic Games. He was 19 at the time, and representing his home nation Grenada. He became the small Caribbean island’s first Olympic medalist as well as the first non-American to break the 44-second barrier in the history of the event.

He's the only Crimson Tide men's athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event.

He's a two-time NCAA champion in the 400 meters, the 2010-11 outdoor championships.

The Crimson Tide Top 5 will appear every day during the month of June on BamaCentral.

Crimson Tide Top 5: Introduction