As a halfback at Florida A&M, Hayes distinguished himself by dominating the wind sprints. In 1962, he set the world record in the 100-yard dash at 9.2 seconds. The next year, he clocked 9.1, a record that lasted 11 years. He tied the 220 world mark (20.6) running into an 8 mph wind.

"I have all the faults that a good sprinter shouldn't have," he told the audience at a 1965 track clinic in Dallas. "I'm pigeon-toed, I wobble when I run, I have legs like baseball bats and I raise straight up on my starts. I have always been a poor starter, but I make up for it by the end of the race."

At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Hayes set a world record with a 100-meter time of 10.05 seconds. He also anchored the 4x100 relay team, which won gold with a world-record time of 39.06. Hayes' legendary split was clocked at 8.6 seconds.

Hayes, the youngest of three children, grew up in poverty. He tried to avoid the military-style discipline of his father, who encouraged him to shine shoes and forget about sports.

But even in street shoes, Hayes outran everyone. At his first high school meet, he won seven events – the 100-, 220-, 440-, and 880-yard dashes, the sprint relay, high jump, and long jump.

He played backup halfback for the 1958 Gilbert High Panthers, who finished 12-0 to win Florida's black school state championship.

Hayes was virtually an unknown commodity when selected by Dallas in the seventh round of the 1964 NFL draft. Coach Tom Landry, wanting to use Hayes' speed in the open field, chose to put him at receiver.

It took one game for Hayes to solidify that decision, converting a short pass from Don Meredith into a 45-yard touchdown. In Hayes' second game, he scored on a 46-yard reception and an 11-yard run. He became the first Cowboys player to post 1,000 receiving yards (1,003).

"Heck no, we didn't know what we were getting when we got Hayes," Landry said after the 1965 opener. "We drafted 9.3 speed, having no idea of his football moves. Gosh, he'll be a great one before he's done."

Hayes' success led to sprinter experiments by other teams. The New York Giants signed Henry Carr, gold medalist in the 200, primarily to cover Hayes. Other Olympic sprinters drafted by NFL teams included Willie Gault, Ron Brown and Renaldo Nehemiah.

In a run-dominated era, Hayes' breakaway potential forced opponents into deep double coverage rarely seen. He is generally credited as the reason the bump-and-run defense was created. "He changed the game," said Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka. "He made defenses and defensive coordinators work hard to figure out what you had to do to stop him."

Dubbed "Speedo" by his teammates, Hayes created nicknames for others – "Big Cat" for Rayfield Wright; "Buzz" for Jethro Pugh and "Sweet Lips" for Cornell Green – to name a few. Hayes was beloved by his teammates despite his constant pranks. He would goose players in the huddle. In training camp, he filled Pettis Norman's bed with bugs and frogs. "You drew the sheets back slow when Speedo was on the job," Norman said.

In 1970, Hayes averaged 26.1 yards per catch. Nobody has matched that mark since. Here are the best reception-yards averages for a season:

Hayes died of kidney failure at 59 on Sept. 18, 2002, after battling prostate cancer and liver ailments. On his tomb are four flags representing the United States, the Cowboys, the Olympics and Japan, where he won his gold medals. The Olympic rings and a blue Cowboys star are engraved on the front.

Born: Dec. 20, 1942, in Jacksonville, Fla.

Died: Sept. 18, 2002

College: Florida A&M. At age 51, he earned his degree in elementary education.

Height: 6-0

Weight: 185

Acquired: Drafted by Cowboys, 7th round, 1964 draft

NFL career: 1965-1974 Cowboys; 1975 San Francisco 49ers

As a Cowboy: Won five Eastern Conference titles, two NFC titles and the 1972 Super Bowl. Inducted into Ring of Honor in 2001

Nicknames: Crow, World's Fastest Human, Bullet Bob, Rapid Robert, Speedo, The Human Jet, Tornado, Flash

Post NFL: In 1979, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison after selling cocaine and speed to an undercover officer. Was paroled after 10 months in jail. Fought addiction to drugs and alcohol, entering rehab three times.