View source for Quincy Watts

{{Short description|American athlete (born 1970)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name           = Quincy Watts
|image          = 
|caption        = 
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1970|6|19}}
|birth_place    = [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], U.S.
|death_date     = 
|death_place    = 
|height         = {{convert|6|ft|3|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|weight         = {{convert|195|lb|kg}}
|sport          = [[Running]]
|event          = [[100 metres|100 m]], [[200 metres|200 m]], [[400 metres|400 m]]
|collegeteam    = [[USC Trojans]]
|medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]]|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres|400 metres]]}}
{{MedalGold|1992 Barcelona|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics|1993 Stuttgart]]|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1991 World Championships in Athletics|1991 Tokyo]]|[[1991 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
}}

'''Quincy D. Watts''' (born June 19, 1970) is an [[United States of America|American]] former [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]], and two-time [[gold medal]]ist at the [[1992 Summer Olympics]].

==Career==
Born in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], Quincy Watts attended the [[University of Southern California]] (USC) where he excelled as a general athlete and a wide receiver on the college [[American football|football]] team. He took up track at [[List of Los Angeles Unified School District schools|Sutter Middle School]] and later went to [[William Howard Taft High School (Los Angeles, California)|Taft High School]] in [[Woodland Hills, California]], a neighborhood in Los Angeles. In 1987, he ran a 10.36s [[100 m]], which stands as the [[California Interscholastic Federation#Sections|Los Angeles city section]] record, and at the time was the second fastest in CIF history, behind only [[Henry Thomas (athlete)|Henry Thomas']] 10.25 in 1985. That same year he repeated as the [[200 meters]] Champion at the [[CIF California State Meet|CIF California State Championships]] in [[Sacramento]].

Watts began as a [[Sprint (running)|short sprinter]], specializing for [[100 metres|100 m]] and [[200 metres|200 m]], but the USC coach [[Jim Bush]], convinced him to run [[400 metres|400 m]], where he found his success.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/profile-he-just-keeps-running-away-quincy-watts-1539222.html|title=He just keeps running away|author=Williams, Richard|work=[[The Independent]]|date=August 9, 1992}}</ref>

In 1992, by far his most successful year, he won the [[gold medal]] in the Olympic 400 m. He twice broke [[Lee Evans (sprinter)|Lee Evans']] [[Olympic record]] of 43.86, (set at altitude during the [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 games in Mexico]]), clocking 43.71 in his semi-final, before going on to record 43.50 in the final. As of August 2024, this is still the track record for Barcelona and the second{{nbh}}fastest time run in Spain. He was a member of the 4 × 400 m [[relay race|relay]] team, running the second leg in 43.10, which smashed the then-[[world record]] in a time of 2:55.74.<ref>{{cite web | title=Quincy Watts - Track & Field Coach - USC Athletics | url=https://usctrojans.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/coaches/quincy-watts/1337 | access-date=May 18, 2024 | work=University of Southern California }}</ref>

At the [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in 1991, Watts won a silver medal in 4 × 400 relay, which he turned to gold in the following championships in 1993 running the second leg on the team that took almost a second and a half off the then-[[World Record]] he had been a part of the year before. That race time still stands as the World Record. In the 1993 Individual 400 m Final, where Watts was expecting to challenge the time of his relay teammates [[Michael Johnson (sprinter)|Michael Johnson]] and [[Butch Reynolds]], his custom{{nbh}}built [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] shoe disintegrated as he was coming off the final turn. Continuing to run, he still managed fourth place.<ref>{{cite news | last=Harvey | first=Randy | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-19-sp-25101-story.html | title=Unglued Shoe Is Causing a Real Flap | work=LA Times | date=August 19, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/19/sports/19iht-track_10.html|title=The Quincy Watts Shoe Sole Explosion Alert:Something Smells Here|work=[[The New York Times International Edition]]|date=August 19, 1993}}</ref> Since this incident, poor Nike shoe quality has been referred to as "doing the Quincy Watts" in track circles. It has also affected Nike's concern for quality control.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/10ap/SportsLetter/sl696_.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505015750/http://www.la84foundation.org/10ap/SportsLetter/sl696_.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 5, 2010|title=Sportsletter June 1996|date=June 25, 1996|volume=8|number=3|magazine=LA84 Foundation}}</ref>

In 1994 and 1995, he failed to break 45 [[second]]s and in 1996 finished a disappointing seventh in the US Olympic trials in a time of 45.64. Overshadowed by Michael Johnson, he retired in 1997 and was hired as the head coach at Taft High School. After his tenure at Taft, he worked as an assistant track coach at [[Harvard-Westlake School]]. Watts currently serves as an assistant coach for the Men's and Women's sprints teams at the University of Southern California. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, he also trains several professional athletes, including [[Willie McGinest]] and [[Curtis Conway]]. Notably, Conway was a high school competitor of Watts.<ref>{{YouTube|ZCdqmQaghLE|CIF California State Meet 1988 Boys 200}}</ref>

Watts currently holds the position of head coach at USC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usctrojans.com/staff.aspx?staff=409|title=Quincy Watts|publisher=USC|access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x400 m Men|1992}}
{{Footer World Champions 4 x 400 m Men|1993}}
{{Footer World Junior Champions men's 4x100 metres}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1992 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer WBYP 400m Men}}
{{USC Trojans track and field coach navbox}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Quincy}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:American football wide receivers]]
[[Category:USC Trojans football players]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:USC Trojans track and field coaches]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from California]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Detroit]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Athletics record holders (relay)]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:William Howard Taft Charter High School alumni]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:USC Trojans men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]