Curtis Mills

Curtis Mills (born October 6, 1948) is an American retired athlete who was a world record holder in the men’s 440 yards.

Curtis Mills

Personal information
Born	(1948-10-06)October 6, 1948 Lufkin, Texas, U.S.
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	400 metres

Early life

Mills was raised in Lufkin, Texas and attended Dunbar High School (now Lufkin High School following desegregation). He then attended Texas A&M University.

Career

Mills recorded four world records in the men’s 440 yards and 4 × 220 y/4 × 200 m relay:

• 440 y in 44.7s in Knoxville, Tennessee on 21 June 1969.
• 4 × 220 y relay in 1:22.1 minutes in Austin, Texas on 3 April 1970.
• 4 × 220 y relay in 1:22.1 minutes in Des Moines, Iowa on 24 April 1970.
• 4 × 220 y/4 × 200 m relay in 1:21.7 minutes in Des Moines, Iowa on 24 April 1970.

Note 1: The 1:22.1 timings for the relay were never ratified.

Note 2: His brother, Marvin, also was a member of the relay teams.

Mill was awarded the first scholarship to an African American athlete by Texas A&M University. Whilst studying at the university, he became in 1969 the NCAA 440 y champion.

Awards and Accolades

• In 1979, Mills was inducted into the Texas A&M University Hall of Fame.
• In 2015, Mills was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame.