James Butts (triple jumper)

James Aaron Butts (born May 9, 1950) is a retired American triple jumper. He won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics and a bronze at the 1979 Pan American Games.^[1] He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

James Butts

Butts at the 1976 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	James Aaron Butts
Born	May 9, 1950 (1950-05-09) (age 75) South Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	82 kg (181 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Triple jump
Club	Tobias Striders
Achievements and titles
Personal best	17.24 m (1978)[1][2]
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1976 Montreal Triple jump Pan American Games 1979 San Juan Triple jump

Butts won the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials with a wind-aided 17.29 m, just short of the existing world record at the time. He narrowly missed making the team in 1972 and again in 1980, finishing in fourth place each time (the last time by a mere 1 cm).^[2][3]

Butts won the 1972 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships while competing for the University of California at Los Angeles. While training for the Olympics, he worked two jobs including as a janitor, to support his mother and sister. He had to train at 5 am as it was the only time that fit his schedule.^[1]