Walt Haywood

Inducted in 2025

Walt Haywood was a late bloomer.
“My sister ran faster than me until I was 14,’’ he said. “But then it all changed.’’
By his sophomore season at then-track power Santa Rita High School, Haywood ran 100 meters in 10.5, fastest in Tucson. He long jumped 23-feet 5-inches. He was a force in the 200.
As a senior, Haywood led Santa Rita to the state championship, the only track championship in school history. On the final day of the state finals at Phoenix College, Haywood finished second in the long jump, second in the 200 and third in the 100. Then, with pressure mounting in the meet’s final event, Haywood ran the anchor leg on the 4×100 relay, the Eagles’ only victory of the week for a narrow victory over Scottsdale Coronado.
Track wasn’t Haywood’s only strong event. He also played basketball at Santa Rita at a time the Eagles reached the state finals.
What was surprising is that the hometown Arizona Wildcats didn’t offer Haywood a scholarship. So he went to Pima College for two years and was a JC All-American as a freshman in the 100 and 200. He was injured much of his sophomore season, but returned late in the season to become an NJCAA All-American in the long jump.
That’s when Arizona State, then a national track and field power, offered Haywood a scholarship. He became a key part of ASU’s powerhouse, part of the 4×100 relay that won the 1982 Pac-10 championship.
Haywood was just as successful after his athletic career. He retired from the Air Force after a long career.