Antonio Pettigrew Inducted Into Macon Sports Hall Of Fame
April 17, 2008 | Track & Field
April 17, 2008
Courtesy of WMAZ-TV Macon, Ga.
Full Article
MACON, Ga. - The Macon Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its Class of Inductees for 2008. This distinguished group includes:
Antonio Pettigrew - Track: The former Southwest Patriot standout burst onto the national scene with his track exploits. In addition to the Olympic and world championship titles he piled up in the 4x400 meter relay during his career, Pettigrew is a five-time U.S. champion in the 400 meters - over a remarkable span of 12 years. His first title came in 1989, just two years after graduating from high school, and his last came in 2001, an extended period of consistently maintained excellence rarely seen in the world of track and field.
Pettigrew won a Gold Medal at the 2000 Olympics running the 2nd leg on the 4x400 relay team. He was a 3 time world champion in the 4x400 winning in'97, '99, '01.
Pettigrew's incredible success extends even farther, though. He spent his collegiate days competing at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C. - where he earned his degree in 1992 - and was a 10-time All-America performer and four-time Division II NCAA champion in the 400 meters. Pettigrew made his first Olympic Team in 2000 when he placed third in the 400...has the second-fastest relay leg in history, a 43.1 to help the U.S. to gold at the 1997 World Championships. His split in that race was second only to Michael Johnson's 42.94.
Pettigrew won the Georgia state 400 meters in 1986 and then won the state 200 and 400 meters in 19087.
He is currently an assistant track coach at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.