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The Fastest 40 ever...

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The Fastest 40 Yard Dash Ever | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights

There are many football fans who will and have asked the question who ran the fastest 40 yard dash. I came across this article which really looks at that and the history of the 40, why it was developed as a marker for the NFL draft and variables that go into the 40 including three different starting procedures that will affect the real time of the distance.

Then there is a list of the fastest 40’s ever run. Just thought it might interest some people and promote discussion since it has become the signature event at the NFL Combine and carries so much weight on a players draft position depending on his offensive or defensive position. I’ll copy/paste part of the article and post the sub 40 times. This is a current article with some times added this year.


The Fastest 40 Yard Dash Ever

What Research Found Out On This Very Important Topic

By: Chad Wilson-Editor Gridironstuds.com


In 1960, Gil Brandt, the director scouting for the Cowboys along with his department came up with the 40/20/10 measurement. The 40 was used for all players. The 20 yard split time of the 40 was of great significance for linemen since the thought was that they rarely run 40 yards in a game.

The 10-yard split was important for wide receivers as a measure of their burst off of the line of scrimmage. With this, a drill was born and almost 50 years later, it has become the center piece of info on a prospective high school, college or professional football player.

So who had the fastest 40 yard dash ever? Research confirmed what I already knew and that there is no way to really tell. Here are some important things to know about the 40 yard dash:

- A hand time (use of a stop watch) will usually be faster than an electronic time

- There are two types of electronic times:

1. When a watch is started by a coach and an electronic beam records the time when it picks up the player crossing the end point

2. When an electronic beam picks up the movement of a player from the start and starts the clock. An electronic beam also detects the player at the end point and stops the clock.

This time will be slower than version No. 1 and even slower than a hand time in which a coach starts his stop watch when he sees the player begin the run and then stops the watch when he sees the player cross the finish line.

- An accurtrack time will be the slowest of all. Accutrack is what is used at track meets. The clock in accu-track timing starts when the starter’s pistol is shot. The runner’s time for the event is recorded digitally when the technology detects the player crossing the finish line.

Studies have shown that that average reaction time by a human to a starter’s pistol is .25 seconds.

For this reason, anyone who compares a 40-yard split time in a 100 meter event and compares it to reported hand timed 40-yard dash marks is making a big mistake. If you want compare the 40-yard split of a runner in a 100 meter event, subtract .25 seconds from the recorded time.

So, Olympic runner Justin Gatlin’s 4.42 forty-yard dash split recorded during his Gold Medal winning 9.85 100 meter run, would convert to a 4.17 forty yard dash by football standards.

After much research a few things have come up over and over and over. These things plus my own two eyes would lead me to believe that Darrell Green, Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders were the fastest football players to ever play the game.



Former Hurricanes, Tremain Mack (4.25) and Al Shipman (4.27), ran sub 4.3 forties before my own eyes. Track star Henry Neal recorded a 4.20 forty yard dash before my own eyes in a workout for the Miami Dolphins in 1996.

The Dolphins did not sign Neal since his football background was quite limited. I never watched him run an actual 40-yard dash but after having to cover him in training camp, I am inclined to believe every second of Joey Galloway’s reported 4.18 forty yard dash.

One player that is not on the list is Bob Hayes of the Dallas Cowboys. No doubt, Hayes was one of the fastest men, if not the fastest man to put on an NFL uniform.

However, as it relates to the 40 yard dash, I could find no time recorded for this Olympic Gold medalist. Hayes has the fastest 100 meter time for an NFL player at 10.05.

Should current Florida Gator Jeffery Demps make it to the NFL for any significant amount of time, he will own the fastest time at 10.01. Demps ran this as a high schooler and owns the national prep record for the event.

The fastest recorded 40 yard split on record belongs to Olympian Maurice Greene. During his World Record 60 meter run of 6.33, a mark that still exists, Green crossed the 40 yard mark at 4.18.

Remembering that .25 seconds must be subtracted from that time due to Accu-track timing and you come up with a 40 yard dash time of 3.93 seconds. What’s the problem with that time? It was run on an indoor track with spikes on giving the runner an advantage over the football players who have run on grass with cleats.

In an effort to centralize all the reported 40 yard dash times. I will start what we call the SUB 4.3 Club. I will attempt to keep a running record of the sub 4.3 forty yard dashes and their owners in this list.

I will refrain from adding times of the ridiculous and will do some research on all times that qualify. I will say one thing, can you web surfers stop reporting that Deion Sanders ran a 4.57 forty yard dash backwards. That’s just flat out ridiculous.

Enjoy the following list of reported (and somewhat believable) 40 yard dashes run under 4.3 seconds.

You can view the list at: The Fastest 40 Yard Dash Ever - Gridiron Studs Blog: College Football Recruiting Talk or below

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The Fastest 40 Yard Dash Ever | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights

There are many football fans who will and have asked the question who ran the fastest 40 yard dash. I came across this article which really looks at that and the history of the 40, why it was developed as a marker for the NFL draft and variables that go into the 40 including three different starting procedures that will affect the real time of the distance.

Then there is a list of the fastest 40’s ever run. Just thought it might interest some people and promote discussion since it has become the signature event at the NFL Combine and carries so much weight on a players draft position depending on his offensive or defensive position. I’ll copy/paste part of the article and post the sub 40 times. This is a current article with some times added this year.


The Fastest 40 Yard Dash Ever

What Research Found Out On This Very Important Topic

By: Chad Wilson-Editor Gridironstuds.com


In 1960, Gil Brandt, the director scouting for the Cowboys along with his department came up with the 40/20/10 measurement. The 40 was used for all players. The 20 yard split time of the 40 was of great significance for linemen since the thought was that they rarely run 40 yards in a game.

The 10-yard split was important for wide receivers as a measure of their burst off of the line of scrimmage. With this, a drill was born and almost 50 years later, it has become the center piece of info on a prospective high school, college or professional football player.

So who had the fastest 40 yard dash ever? Research confirmed what I already knew and that there is no way to really tell. Here are some important things to know about the 40 yard dash:

- A hand time (use of a stop watch) will usually be faster than an electronic time

- There are two types of electronic times:

1. When a watch is started by a coach and an electronic beam records the time when it picks up the player crossing the end point

2. When an electronic beam picks up the movement of a player from the start and starts the clock. An electronic beam also detects the player at the end point and stops the clock.

This time will be slower than version No. 1 and even slower than a hand time in which a coach starts his stop watch when he sees the player begin the run and then stops the watch when he sees the player cross the finish line.

- An accurtrack time will be the slowest of all. Accutrack is what is used at track meets. The clock in accu-track timing starts when the starter’s pistol is shot. The runner’s time for the event is recorded digitally when the technology detects the player crossing the finish line.

Studies have shown that that average reaction time by a human to a starter’s pistol is .25 seconds.

For this reason, anyone who compares a 40-yard split time in a 100 meter event and compares it to reported hand timed 40-yard dash marks is making a big mistake. If you want compare the 40-yard split of a runner in a 100 meter event, subtract .25 seconds from the recorded time.

So, Olympic runner Justin Gatlin’s 4.42 forty-yard dash split recorded during his Gold Medal winning 9.85 100 meter run, would convert to a 4.17 forty yard dash by football standards.

After much research a few things have come up over and over and over. These things plus my own two eyes would lead me to believe that Darrell Green, Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders were the fastest football players to ever play the game.



Former Hurricanes, Tremain Mack (4.25) and Al Shipman (4.27), ran sub 4.3 forties before my own eyes. Track star Henry Neal recorded a 4.20 forty yard dash before my own eyes in a workout for the Miami Dolphins in 1996.

The Dolphins did not sign Neal since his football background was quite limited. I never watched him run an actual 40-yard dash but after having to cover him in training camp, I am inclined to believe every second of Joey Galloway’s reported 4.18 forty yard dash.

One player that is not on the list is Bob Hayes of the Dallas Cowboys. No doubt, Hayes was one of the fastest men, if not the fastest man to put on an NFL uniform.

However, as it relates to the 40 yard dash, I could find no time recorded for this Olympic Gold medalist. Hayes has the fastest 100 meter time for an NFL player at 10.05.

Should current Florida Gator Jeffery Demps make it to the NFL for any significant amount of time, he will own the fastest time at 10.01. Demps ran this as a high schooler and owns the national prep record for the event.

The fastest recorded 40 yard split on record belongs to Olympian Maurice Greene. During his World Record 60 meter run of 6.33, a mark that still exists, Green crossed the 40 yard mark at 4.18.

Remembering that .25 seconds must be subtracted from that time due to Accu-track timing and you come up with a 40 yard dash time of 3.93 seconds. What’s the problem with that time? It was run on an indoor track with spikes on giving the runner an advantage over the football players who have run on grass with cleats.

In an effort to centralize all the reported 40 yard dash times. I will start what we call the SUB 4.3 Club. I will attempt to keep a running record of the sub 4.3 forty yard dashes and their owners in this list.

I will refrain from adding times of the ridiculous and will do some research on all times that qualify. I will say one thing, can you web surfers stop reporting that Deion Sanders ran a 4.57 forty yard dash backwards. That’s just flat out ridiculous.

Enjoy the following list of reported (and somewhat believable) 40 yard dashes run under 4.3 seconds.

You can view the list at: The Fastest 40 Yard Dash Ever - Gridiron Studs Blog: College Football Recruiting Talk or below

View attachment 217766
Very interesting post. Thanks for sharing.
 
After his stint on the track team, I wonder how fast Sean Tucker is.
Scouting Report on the Next Great Syracuse Running Back (nfldiamonds.com; Bey)

Over the years, Syracuse University has had several great Running Backs (Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Larry Csonka, Joe Morris, and Floyd Little among many others). In 2021, Sean Tucker broke the all-time single-season rushing record with 1,496 yards. As a 3rd yr Sophomore, he will have 2 more years of eligibility after the 2022 season, but he should be one of the first backs taken in the 2023 draft if he continues to improve.

Name, Jersey #: Sean Tucker #34
School (Code): NYSY
DOB, Class Yr: 10/25/01, 3rd yr SO (2022 Season)
Height, Weight: 5100e, 209e
>40 Yd Dash: 4.54e<
Position/Depth: RB 1
Honors/Captainship: 2021, 1st team All-ACC, 1st team All-American (FWAA), 2nd team All-American (AP)
Season Viewed (yr): 2021
Games Watched: @FLST, NCWF, SCCL, MABC, @NCST
Scout Name/Date: Mike Bey 5/15/22


LAOrange:

This report on Tucker was in tomcat's Thursday's Football Board. I'm guessing that the e means estimated and if correct I can't imagine, with his track work, he hasn't been officially timed in the 40. Watching him run in games and in film of games - to me he certainly looks faster than a 4.5.

I estimate him at a 4.4 or high 4.3. Babers said he's faster but we are going to find out officially at the Combine. I have not seen anyone able to catch him from behind. Once he takes that first step he's gone.
 
I have an old time Yankees fan that likes to talk about Mickey Mantle being the fastest ever from home to first base. 3.1 seconds. Conversions to a 40 yd dash put him somewhere around 4.2. I found the 3.1 in a search but can’t verify any conversion to a 40. Anyone have any information?
 
I have an old time Yankees fan that likes to talk about Mickey Mantle being the fastest ever from home to first base. 3.1 seconds. Conversions to a 40 yd dash put him somewhere around 4.2. I found the 3.1 in a search but can’t verify any conversion to a 40. Anyone have any information?
As an old and current Yankee, Brooklyn Dodger fan I have seen the same information on Mantle. I'll try and get the information/conversion.
 
I have an old time Yankees fan that likes to talk about Mickey Mantle being the fastest ever from home to first base. 3.1 seconds. Conversions to a 40 yd dash put him somewhere around 4.2. I found the 3.1 in a search but can’t verify any conversion to a 40. Anyone have any information?
Your friend is right. He was. No one has ever beaten his time.

Mantle had come up as a 19 year-old shortstop in 1950 renown for his power and speed. Mantle was timed at 3.1 seconds to first base, the fastest ever recorded.

40 YDS. = 120 FT. Home to first = 90 FT. The Mick was running 30 FT in 1 second, so add on 1 second and you have 4.1+ which would put him among the top of the best at 40 YDS. ever.

A truly amazing athlete.
 
Last edited:
Your friend is right. He was. No one has ever beaten his time.

Mantle had come up as a 19 year-old shortstop in 1950 renown for his power and speed. Mantle was timed at 3.1 seconds to first base, the fastest ever recorded.

40 YDS. = 120 FT. Home to first = 90 FT. The Mick was running 30 FT in 1 second, so add on 1 second and you have 4.1+ which would put him among the top of the best at 40 YDS. ever.

A truly amazing athlete.

I'm assuming this was hand timed, so likely some room for error. I don't doubt he was extremely fast, but this seems awfully hard to believe.
 
I’d take Tyreek Hill. I’ve never seen acceleration like that
 
I’d take Tyreek Hill. I’ve never seen acceleration like that
I would LOVE to see Prime Time cover Tyreek (Or Randy Moss). Wonder why Hill is not on that list, he is certainly a sub 4.3 guy.
 
I'm assuming this was hand timed, so likely some room for error. I don't doubt he was extremely fast, but this seems awfully hard to believe.
Yes hand timed. Believe.
- A hand time (use of a stop watch) will usually be faster than an electronic time
- There are two types of electronic times:
1. When a watch is started by a coach and an electronic beam records the time when it picks up the player crossing the end point
2. When an electronic beam picks up the movement of a player from the start and starts the clock. An electronic beam also detects the player at the end point and stops the clock.
This time will be slower than version No. 1 and even slower than a hand time in which a coach starts his stop watch when he sees the player begin the run and then stops the watch when he sees the player cross the finish line.
- An accurtrack time will be the slowest of all. Accutrack is what is used at track meets. The clock in accu-track timing starts when the starter’s pistol is shot. The runner’s time for the event is recorded digitally when the technology detects the player crossing the finish line.
Studies have shown that that average reaction time by a human to a starter’s pistol is .25 seconds.
For this reason, anyone who compares a 40-yard split time in a 100 meter event and compares it to reported hand timed 40-yard dash marks is making a big mistake. If you want compare the 40-yard split of a runner in a 100 meter event, subtract .25 seconds from the recorded time.

>Back when I was a kid, they stated that Mantle ran down the bases, home to 1st in 3.1 seconds. This was hand timed by the way. Vida Pinson was also timed at that speed.

Mantle was one of the best, if not the best, drag bunters ever. So he was doing the same thing as Ichiro, and he was timed by hand, which also counts for a faster time. Pinson was timed the same way, drag bunting, and both their times were 3.1. If they were timed today, their time would be a little slower using the timers we have today. (See the 40 Fastest Ever post for the difference in timing

Mantle & Pinson both had several feet short of 30 yards (90 feet) while drag bunting out of the batters box.

Here's what I found:

Sporting News, Sept. 3, 1952.

Lefty Batters Running To 1B.

Time Runner

>3.1--Mickey Mantle, Yanks

3.1 seconds
 
So what's Tim Locastro at?

He was timed at 30.7 ft per second.
 
Saw an interesting article recently about a Tampa Bay high schooler who toyed with football but is probably sticking to track. At his age he has already broken Usain Bolts records at his age by a sizeable margin. Wish he would consider Syracuse football. Many expect him to be the fastest ever.
 
Fastest 40 by a Cuse player ever?

Mo Jackson? Harrison? Spotwood? Kevin Johnson? Ishmael?
 
So what's Tim Locastro at?

He was timed at 30.7 ft per second.
Tim Locastro

OF | B/T: R/R | 6' 1" 190LBS | Age: 29

Draft: 2013 | Rd: 13, #385, Toronto Blue Jays | Ithaca

The New York Yankees could be without outfielder Tim Locastro for “at least a couple of weeks,” manager Aaron Boone said before Sunday’s doubleheader against the Texas Rangers in the Bronx.

The team had announced earlier in the morning that they had placed Locastro on the 10-day Injured List with a left latissimus dorsi strain. The Yankees called up Estevan Florial from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and appointed him the 27th man for the doubleheader.

orangenauburn, hope he heals well and sticks with the Yankees - watched all his film. He is very fast - 30.7 FT / SEC 30 + 30 + 30 + 90 FT home to first and he's beating the throws so he's there in less than 3 secs.
Locastro has been one of New York’s best base stealers through the young baseball season so far. He has successfully stolen four times on five attempts and has an on-base percentage of .333.

In 13 at-bats this season, Locastro is batting .231.

Really great player IMHO:
Tim Locastro
Stolen bases32
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (2017–2018) Arizona Diamondbacks (2019–2021) New York Yankees (2021–present)
 
Last edited:
Yes hand timed. Believe.
- A hand time (use of a stop watch) will usually be faster than an electronic time
- There are two types of electronic times:
1. When a watch is started by a coach and an electronic beam records the time when it picks up the player crossing the end point
2. When an electronic beam picks up the movement of a player from the start and starts the clock. An electronic beam also detects the player at the end point and stops the clock.
This time will be slower than version No. 1 and even slower than a hand time in which a coach starts his stop watch when he sees the player begin the run and then stops the watch when he sees the player cross the finish line.
- An accurtrack time will be the slowest of all. Accutrack is what is used at track meets. The clock in accu-track timing starts when the starter’s pistol is shot. The runner’s time for the event is recorded digitally when the technology detects the player crossing the finish line.
Studies have shown that that average reaction time by a human to a starter’s pistol is .25 seconds.
For this reason, anyone who compares a 40-yard split time in a 100 meter event and compares it to reported hand timed 40-yard dash marks is making a big mistake. If you want compare the 40-yard split of a runner in a 100 meter event, subtract .25 seconds from the recorded time.

>Back when I was a kid, they stated that Mantle ran down the bases, home to 1st in 3.1 seconds. This was hand timed by the way. Vida Pinson was also timed at that speed.

Mantle was one of the best, if not the best, drag bunters ever. So he was doing the same thing as Ichiro, and he was timed by hand, which also counts for a faster time. Pinson was timed the same way, drag bunting, and both their times were 3.1. If they were timed today, their time would be a little slower using the timers we have today. (See the 40 Fastest Ever post for the difference in timing

Mantle & Pinson both had several feet short of 30 yards (90 feet) while drag bunting out of the batters box.

Here's what I found:

Sporting News, Sept. 3, 1952.

Lefty Batters Running To 1B.

Time Runner

>3.1--Mickey Mantle, Yanks

3.1 seconds
Seems to me that via some old video that might exist, those times could be verified by an intrepid sports sleuth.
 
FINAL 100 M TIMES KNIGHTON #6

Location: Hayward Field | Eugene, Oregon (USA)

Watch Live Stream

Men's 100m Final, Wind: -0.2

PLACENAMENAT.MARK
1.Trayvon BROMELLUSA9.93
2.Fred KERLEYUSA9.98
3.Christian COLEMANUSA10.04
4.Noah LYLESUSA10.05
5.Letsile TEBOGOBOT10.12
6.Erriyon KNIGHTONUSA10.14
7.Kyree KINGUSA10.16
8.Kenneth BEDNAREKUSA10.18
9.Andre DE GRASSECAN10.21
Men's 400m
 

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