Renaldo Nehemiah Renaldo Nehemiah ( born March 24 , 1959 ) is an American athlete who dominated the 110 m hurdle event from 1978 until 1981 . He was the world record holder and the first man to run the high hurdles in under 13 seconds . He was ranked number one in the world for four straight years . Nehemiah also played pro football in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1982 to 1985 , before returning to track and field athletics from 1986 to 1991 . Nehemiah was also known by the nickname " Skeets " . Track and field career . Nehemiah was the national junior champion in 1977 , the same year he graduated from Scotch Plains - Fanwood High School in his hometown of Scotch Plains , New Jersey . Nehemiah ' s high school personal bests were 12 . 9 in the 110 meter hurdles and 35 . 8 in the 300 meter hurdles , so much faster than his competitors that his coach had him compete over 42 inch hurdles ( collegiate height ) and occasionally train over 45 inch hurdles . After graduating from Scotch Plains - Fanwood , Nehemiah attended the University of Maryland , where he won three NCAA titles ( two indoor ) . Nehemiah ' s sophomore year at UMD proved to be his breakout year . He broke the world record in the 110 meter hurdles twice in two weeks , running 13 . 16 and then 13 . 00 . He won the 1979 IAAF World Cup and Pan - American Games titles , as well as the second of four U . S . national titles . At the 1979 Penn Relays , Nehemiah anchored UMD ' s shuttle hurdle relay , 4x400 meter relay , and 4x200 meter relay , and was named meet MVP . During the relays he recorded an unofficial split of 19 . 4 second s in the 4 - by - 200 meter relay and a 44 . 3 second split in the 4x400 meter relay . Nehemiah described his 400 - meter leg as follows : The prohibitive favorite to win the 110 - meter hurdles in the 1980 Summer Olympics , he was unable to compete due to a 64 - nation boycott of the Games , spearheaded by the United States . At the 1981 Weltklasse meeting in Zürich , Switzerland , Nehemiah broke the world record for the 110 meter hurdles and became the first person to ever run the race in less than 13 seconds . In an interview , Nehemiah explained his race as less than ideal : Pat Connolly , who also coached sprinter Evelyn Ashford , was instrumental in reviving Nehemiah ' s track career after his short foray in football . Connolly is quoted as saying : She also believed he may have been better suited for the 400 m hurdle event . She is on record as saying : Football career . Nehemiah worked out in 1982 for several NFL teams , including the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers and ended up signing with the 49ers in a blaze of publicity and high expectations . During his three years as a wide receiver he caught 43 passes for 754 yards , a 17 . 5 average , and 4 touchdowns . Although he was part of the Super Bowl winning team in the 1984 season , he did not play a major role . His football career is deemed by some to be a failure – many think it represents one of the most glaring mistakes ever made by 49ers head coach Bill Walsh – winning Nehemiah a comparison to the track star Jimmie " Oops " Hines , who won his infamous nickname for his inability to catch the ball . However , a strong point of Nehemiah was that he would draw the defense into deep coverage whenever he was on the field . He would often be guarded with deep or double coverage , thereby demonstrating a success of Nehemiah . Nehemiah was made expendable in 1985 when the 49ers drafted Jerry Rice in the first round , and he returned to the track in 1986 . He managed to achieve world rankings four more times before retiring from athletics after the 1991 season . The Superstars . Nehemiah was the only four - time winner of " The Superstars , " a made - for - television decathlon - style competition broadcast by ABC Sports . He won the event in 1981 , 1982 , 1983 and 1986 . Management . He is currently involved with Octagon Sports Marketing , a sports management and marketing agency , as the Director of Track & Field . He has represented many of the world ' s best hurdlers and sprinters including Allen Johnson , Mark Crear and Justin Gatlin and most recently 2012 400 meter Gold Medalist Kirani James . External links . < br > < br >