Normally when top-notch athletes visit Mississippi State, it is in the form of a recruiting visit. However, for the last week, Starkville has served as the temporary home for Lee Evans — USA Track and Field Hall of Famer, Olympic coach and one-time world record holder.
His hosts say this could be a first step in forging a bond between MSU’s track program and the African nation of Nigeria, where Evans will begin coaching its Olympic team as soon as he finds his way out of Starkville.
The sprinter won gold twice while competing for the U.S. in the Olympics with a world record 400-meter performance in Mexico City in 1968 that stood for 20 years. He also anchored the 4×400-meter relay team in 1968 that won gold.
He has also coached track at colleges in the U.S., most recently at the University of South Alabama.
Evans has been visiting one of his former pupils, Sule Alli, a Nigerian native and Starkville businessman who ran track for the Bulldogs in the 1980s, setting school records in the 800-meter and indoor 1000-meter.
“Sule Alli is one of my former athletes when I was coaching in Nigeria back in the ’70s,” Evans said. “He had invited me to come while I’m here in town, so I’m staying with him for about a week.”
Starkville is only a temporary stop for Evans. He is heading to Africa for a job he has done several times before.
“I’ll be coaching the sprinters in preparation for the 2012 Olympic games,” he said.
Evans said he is waiting for the paperwork and plane tickets to travel to Nigeria, where he will once again scout and coach the country’s best sprinters. He has coached in the Olympics for Nigeria before, as well as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon, and has an eye for talent.
“I’ve had five Olympic medal winners – one gold winner, three bronze, two silver and another gold,” he said.
Alli said that before Evans and other members of the Olympic team came to Nigeria in the late 1970s, no one had a real plan for training. Evans helped change all that, training the kids how to run properly and effectively and how to relax. Then he encouraged them to apply to universities in the U.S.
“When I got out of high school I had a scholarship, and so did a lot of my friends, to come to America,” Alli said. “In the history of track and field in America, there were several athletes that came from Nigeria. All these came after their visit.”
Evans and Alli visited the MSU track and field team last week. Associate head coach Steve Dudley said Evans left a great impression.
“I think it was special for the group to have a past two-time gold medalist and world record holder talk to them,” Dudley said. “I think he was able to give a perspective that anything could happen if you’ve got a talent and are willing to put the workload in as well.”
Alli said his connections to his home country helped get Evans back to Nigeria, which will ultimately prove fruitful for MSU track and field.
“The president of the federation there is a good friend of mine, and I was telling him we need to get Lee back to energize the area again,” Alli said. “They know Lee’s track record of producing athletes and are sending him back to train full time. When he’s there coaching, he would have Mississippi State in mind.”
Alli also said MSU is a great fit for Nigerians, which helped him make his own choice 30 years ago.
“Mississippi State is one of the best areas for training,” he said. “Our climate is similar, not tropical but similar. And they have the educational qualifications.”
Evans said the importance of a good education cannot be understated.
“It’s great for a young kid in Africa to get his education, and at the same time see to his track and field career,” Evans said. “I think its great for America that we can continue to offer that to children all around the world.”
It is advice Evans has given African kids before, like a young Alli back in 1977.
“When he was in Nigeria before, track and field changed,” Alli said. “We want him to go back and do the same work that he did when I was coming up.”