• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Fastest 40 Yard Dash Time?

You are here: Home / 40 Yard Dash / Fastest 40 Yard Dash Time?
7
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

January 24, 2008 by Jimson Lee 7 Comments

Last Updated on January 7, 2009 by Jimson Lee

The shortest distance the IAAF recognizes for indoor world record performances is the 50 meters (approx 54 yards) run in 5.56 seconds set by Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey in 1996. The irony is he was considered a poor starter!

The current world record for 60 meters is 6.39 seconds set twice by American Maurice Greene in 1998 and 2001.

Canadian Ben Johnson broke the WR in the 50 yard dash in a time of 5.15 seconds in January 1988.

The Fastest 40 Yard Dash?

It was reported Ben Johnson splits in his ill-famous 9.79 100 meter race in Seoul was 4.38 seconds for 40 yards, 5.52 seconds for 50 meters, and 60 meters in 6.37. Both the 50m and 60m were under the current world records for those distances at the time.

At the 2001 World Championship 100m final in Edmonton, Maurice Greene covered 30m in 3.75 seconds and 40m in 4.64 seconds, extrapolating his 40 yard (36.576m) time at about 4.24 seconds.

These 2 times and races include reaction time, anywhere from 0.100 to 0.150 seconds.

There are several differences between a track 40 and a football 40 yard dash:

  • Surfaces. Comparing Mondo vs. Grass vs. Astroturf; football cleats vs. spikes.
  • We all know converting a hand time to FAT is 0.24 seconds.
  • As well, most football 40 yard dash don’t go on a starter’s pistol but on an athlete’s motion or breaking a beam (also dependent on the athlete). The average reaction time among elite sprinters from the gun to the moment they exert pressure on the starting block’s electronic pads is about .15 seconds, and anything less than 0.10 seconds is considered a false start. We all remember Lindford Christie’s false start in 1996 Olympics. The rule he “preached” because of Ben Johnson in 1988 was the same “rule” that got him DQ’ed in the Olympic final! The irony!

The fastest 40 yard I recall was the “4.17” by Deion Sanders. If that is a hand time, that makes 4.2 (rounded up) or 4.44 FAT (by adding 0.24 from hand to FAT).

Here’s a video of a 4.33 Reggie Bush 40 Yard Dash.

I still remember the 1990 NFL Draft when Blair Thomas, with a 4.4 40 yard dash, was picked second by the New York Jets, and Emmitt Smith ran a 4.7 and was picked 17th. We all know what Emmitt Smith did after College, right?

All I know is anything 4-mid or faster is fast. There’s a difference between a 4.5 and 5.5.

I wonder what Dwain Chambers could run?

See also  More History of the 4x100m Relay

Category icon40 Yard Dash,  Fitness Testing Tag iconOlympics,  speed

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. luisangel says

    August 3, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    Darrius Heyward-Bey ran a 40 in 4.35

    Reply
  2. mocuab says

    August 12, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Bo Jackson was recorded as running a 4.12 40 yard dash at the 1986 NFL combine, verified by USAToday.com:

    http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-02-22-40-yard-dash_N.htm

    Reply
  3. Mickey Lynch says

    August 24, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    Bo was a rolling start for that time,because he was caught in a college game by Jerry Gray of Texas and dislocated his shoulder at that time. Never could have been caught if he ran that fast. Always loved the speed guys just to see if they could make it in the NFL. Athletes have gotten stronger and faster over these last 20 yrs than any other time in history. You never saw sub 4.4 times for FB players and now plenty of college guys come close to that mark. Remember that the 100m record was M. Greene’s 9.79 in 2000, and 9 years its .20 faster!!! That means UF RB Jeff Demps,who ran 10.01 in the Olympic trials as a HS senior, would be about 10 meters behind Bolt!! The fastest guy I ever heard that played NFL was Reynaldo Nehemiah, who held the 110m hurdle record and joined the 49ers. During workouts he ran a reported 4.29 in 1983 and was “just cruising ” to quote him. he claimed to have run a 4.24 in a track session. Scout said,”Yeah we timed a guy like that before.” Nehemiah then said “but I did it over hurdles!” Would have wanted see him vs Darrell Green in NFL fastest man showdown.

    Reply
  4. jeromy says

    January 4, 2010 at 3:02 pm

    all of you r dumb. cj ran a 4.24 at tha combine. nun of these guys could touch him in tha 40. thats why people want him to race usain bolt. word.

    Reply
  5. Mickey Lynch says

    January 5, 2010 at 10:21 pm

    Brillant comment jerky. Nobody said CJ wasnt fast,just talking about some other times over the years. CJ couldnt beat Walter Dix in HS and Dix has just been a sprinter since then while CJ played ball. Dix is the second fastest US sprinter, behind T. Gay, and he cant touch Bolt. Total mismatch

    Reply
  6. boyd says

    August 1, 2010 at 8:54 am

    Bolt is by far the fastest human ever at 9.5 hundred meters, but as for the forty, the fastest I have ever seen was Rehnaldo Nehimiah said to have done a legit 4.24 (yes Deion and Bo had supposedly faster times–I know when RN played with SF he consistently beat good defensive backs by 10 yds on pass patterns, problem was only fair hands and could not take a hit well

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • Oregon22 Coaches Club now Online
  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}