Celebrating Black History: Robert 'Bullet Bob' Hayes

[thelakelander]

A brief look at the story behind Jacksonville's Robert 'Bullet Bob' Hayes.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/celebrating-black-history-robert-bullet-bob-hayes/

[Captain Zissou]

As a scrawny distance track runner, one of my favorite meets to run was the Bob Hayes invitational at Raines High School.  Thousands of people in attendance and cheering for runners.  I'd push my way up to the fence to watch the 4x400m at the end of the meet.  The noise was as loud as an NFL football game.

I learned about 'Bullet Bob' through that meet, but most people I know in Jax have never heard of him.  Jacksonville needs to do better at honoring its heroes.  It's great that he has a statue, but I'd love to see something outside the stadium.  One recent tribute is the delicious Bullet Bob IPA at Strings Brewery in Springfield.  Hopefully this article will spark some conversations and get the word out.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I had no idea there was a Bob Hayes statue in Eastside, given that I had previously complained about the lack of a statue.  Thank you for sharing this.  Agreed with Captain, though, that he should be honored outside the stadium as well.

[Steve]

BTW, shameless plug for lakelander here:

https://www.jaguars.com/news/celebrating-black-history-month-passing-the-torch

I read this yesterday on Jaguars.com and thought it was outstanding. But I also echo the teachings of local history. How is Bob Hayes not a household name here!?

[thelakelander]

^Thanks! The Jags are collaborating with local historians on Black history stories this month. They asked if I'd create something honoring Hayes.

As a scrawny distance track runner, one of my favorite meets to run was the Bob Hayes invitational at Raines High School.  Thousands of people in attendance and cheering for runners.  I'd push my way up to the fence to watch the 4x400m at the end of the meet.  The noise was as loud as an NFL football game.

I learned about 'Bullet Bob' through that meet..

This is how I learned about Hayes as well. The Central Florida high school I attended had a real good track team. The Bob Hayes invitational at Raines was something people looked forward to attending and competing in.

[fieldafm]

With my stepfather passing last year, I've spent the last few months helping my mom clean up her house.  My sincere hope was to find the picture she took in 1995 of me wearing Bob Hayes' super bowl ring.  I haven't found it.

He sat directly behind us for the Jaguars' first 3 seasons, with who I remember as his mother (but my recollection may be incorrect on who the woman he was accompanied with). He didn't show up to the first two preseason games.. but the minute he walked up the aisle in that Oilers game I recognized him from the high school track meets. It took until the Pittsburgh game (ironically the Jaguars first home win) that year to muster up the courage to strike up a conversation with him.  We became gameday buddies, and he let me 'wear' one of his super bowl rings once so my mom could take a picture.  The ring fit over two of my fingers with some wiggle room.

[Wacca Pilatka]

When was the statue completed?

Mike, that is an awesome story.

[JaxJersey-licious]

I've always known the name growing up because of the annual track meet named after him but never knew how accomplished he was until I was talking to an older friend about the Times-Union starting a count down of the 100 best athletes of the 20th century from the First Coast (I thought it would be Nancy Hogshead) and without hesitation said it should be Bob Hayes. If you wondered why as I did then how someone so accomplished wasn't more of a household name, he had some pretty interesting observations:

**  Being an Olympic gold medalist had a lot more publicity back in the day but still it's being a quadrennial event, unless you had many endorsements and other publicity seeking ventures you were quickly forgotten about.

**  Pro-football did not have anywhere near the relevance and importance as it does now especially in the Deep South and before the Dolphins were able to establish themselves as Jacksonville's team until they won their Super Bowls.

**  He went to Florida A&M and was much more focused on track and field instead of attending any of the bigger college programs at the time and playing more college football.

** But this was the biggest issue: He had a number of drug and legal issues and, to be honest, the general public back then was more determined to have that be a black mark on someone's accomplishments definitely more so than today. For a while, I think they even took his name off his track and field tournament because of this. And when you're no longer in the limelight it's just that much harder to rectify your reputation with your accomplishments.

I hope a new generation of Jaxsons will realize the accomplishments of this amazing athlete and be more of a household name. And beside the stadium, maybe James Weldon of Lift Every Voice And Sing parks could honor him in some way.

[thelakelander]

When he was at Florida A&M, most Black football players were still at HBCUs and those programs were as talented as any. Like the Negro Leagues and Black business districts in older areas of our cities, they fell apart with desegregation when all the top talent was siphoned away. An unfortunate and unintended consequence of integration.

I think his observation about off the field issues is head on though. Here's an interview Hayes did with Frank Gifford in 1984 talking about being black balled after his arrest in 1978:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaXYI_iYB3o&t=419s

[JaxJersey-licious]

Thanks for that old clip. That's infuriating how the 1984 L.A. Olympic community failed to recognize him after he had served his time and had no run-ins with the law since. That's short-sighted, petty, knee-jerk dismissal of his accomplishments was brought to you by the hysteria from the "Say No To Drugs" era.

Now I can't get that old Gatorade jingle out of my damn head. My god the 80's was such an overrated decade 

[fieldafm]

When was the statue completed?

Mike, that is an awesome story.

It was put up a year or two after he passed away. 2003/2004-ish?  Same sculptor had done some installations in Jax Beach near the old pier location and Atlantic Beach City Hall.

My story pales in comparison to the stories I hear about Bob Hayes.  If you talk to any old timer of color, particularly those that lived within the greater Eastside area, they all have Bob Hayes stories. Some of them get as tall as the tallest fishing stories.  For a segment of Jacksonville's population, he was and still is very well known.

[Wacca Pilatka]

^ Thank you

[thelakelander]

I caught up with an older Eastsider earlier this afternoon. He had read the article and wanted to share his story with me. He said Hayes was nicknamed Crow when he was a kid and his father shined shoes. When my friend's father was in his 20s, the Eastside custom was for all the mean to get dressed up on Friday to go out. So when his father would go to get his shoes shined by Hayes' father, little Crow would always ask him if he were going out on the town and where would he be partying that night? When little Crow grew up and started blowing past defenders in the NFL, his dad would beam with pride.