One’s life may end, but their story lives on, and Clyde Hart is the perfect embodiment of that truth. The legendary Baylor coach, who built “Quarter Miler U.” over a remarkable 56-year reign, passed away Saturday in Waco after a courageous battle with cancer. Yet his legacy runs as deep as the lanes he ruled. A three-time USA Track & Field Nike Coach of the Year (1996, 2004, 2006), Hart’s genius lay not just in strategy but in heart, shaping raw sprinters into world champions. His journey, however, was anything but easy. As he takes his final lap, we revisit the words and wisdom of the man who became America’s greatest 400m coach.

Under Hart’s guidance, two of his greatest pupils, Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner, became a dominant force in the 400m. When asked how he rose to prominence

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