| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Michael Cotton |
| National team |  United States |
| Born | (1951-04-09) April 9, 1951 (age 73) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | Pole vault |
| College team | University of Florida |
Richard Michael Cotton (born April 9, 1951) is a former American college and international track and field athlete who was the United States national champion pole vaulter.
Cotton attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team. He was the 1973 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) pole vault champion, as well as the Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion in 1971 and 1973. He earned All-American recognition in 1973 and he was an All-SEC selection in 1971, 1972 and 1973. He held the University of Florida's pole vault record of seventeen feet, six inches for fourteen years and was a member of the 1976 USA National Team. In 1973, he was U.S. Outdoor National Pole Vault Champion and Pan-Am Games champion.
Cotton graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1973, and he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2009.
Cotton founded and manages Cotton's All Lines Insurance in Gainesville, Florida.
See also
References
- "1973 Best Performances List" (PDF). Association of Track and Field Statisticians. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- "USATF - Statistics - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions". Archived from the original on 2007-04-21. Retrieved 2012-09-07. USATF Pole Vault Champions
- F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- "Eight 2009 Honorees Inducted Into UF Athletic Hall of Fame Archived 2012-10-04 at the Wayback Machine," GatorZone.com (April 17, 2009). Retrieved July 22, 2011.