The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 4, Ed. 1, Wednesday, September 7, 1994 Page: 3 of 8
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: Amos clears hurdle at ACU meet. Amos anchors a relay race. ;
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Photos courtesy ACU Sports Inlormatton Offict
Famous j
'1 4
Bjjan Amos displays the NCAA Division
llTuhleto of the Year for outdoor track
and field trophy which was presented
to him in June in by the U.S. Track and
Field Coaches Association. He is now
living in Raleigh N.C. where he is
training with Trevor Graham 1988
Olympic Silver Medalist from Jamaica
with a goal of making the U.S. Olympic!
team for the 1996 Olympiad in Atlanta.
By DEBBIE CRAWFORD
CENT PAGE EDITOR
1
Brian Amos has cleared a lot of hurdles to get
where he is today. Literally. One of the top
collegiate hurdlers in the United States the
u$ three years Amos has racked up an array of
(rack and field awards that would make the heart
pf any ambitious hurdler "wanna be" pound with
envy.
(gnic May 1994 graduate from Eagle Lakehas
earned five NCAA titles nine Lone Star Confer-
ence championships in the 100 and 110 and was
named 1994 Division II male Athlete of the Year
for men's track and field.
ACU came within one point of winning the 1994
ICAA Division II track and field championship in
fvlay of this year with 6 All-America performers.
Amos' contribution was a national individual
championship in the 110 for the third time in a
riv.
: T The fastest collegiate hurdler for the 1994 sea-
son with a best time of 13.37 Amos won individ-
ual titles in the 100 and 1 10 contributing to ACU's
hil straight Lone Star Conference championship
rorl994.
In May ACU recognized Amos' accomplish-
ments by awarding him the Paul Goad Memorial
Award of Outstanding Male Student-Athlete at
Abilene Christian for the 1993-94 school year.
Wiat same month Amos was named 1994 NCAA
Division II male Athlete of the Year for men's
track and field.
Amos' talents reach beyond state and national
competition. As a sophomore in 1992 he reached
Re quarterfinals of the U.S. Olympic trials states
a June press release-
Amos continued to compete this summer win-
king 2nd at the Olympic Festival in St. Louis Mo.
'f fir 3rd in the Pan American games in Durham
N.C.
n mii'lit pxnect that unon the heels of Such
la fantastic list of personal accomplishments
r followed n fantastic eoo. But Amos' friends
uWlcoaches say that his notability comes from his
accomplishments.
"Brian is quiet and a little shy" said coach Wes
Cittley ACU head coach for both men's and
women's track. "Yet he is very confident in his
pwiPwny. He pretty much proves who he is every
time he gets on the track."
Shawn Winget a 1994 graduate seeking his
master's degree in education and a former track
teammate of Amos said "There isn't a nicer guy. I
nevflj heard him bad mouth anyone."
' Kutlcy said "Even his competitors like him. He
consistently treats others with respect and consid-
eration" r .
. Maybe Amos' respect for others comes from
rcgicmbering his beginnings. "I began running
hurdles in the 7th grade" said Amos. "I was tall
and skinny and not fast enough to win the 100. My
coach stuck me in the hurdles and I began winning
a lot. So I just kept on."
As Amos "kept on" he began to stand out from
the crowd in high school in 1990. He became a
double winner at the Texas state high school Class
AAA track meet with times of 14.1 in the 1 10 hur-
dles and 37.4 in the 300 hurdles.
Those accomplishments were enough to gain the
notice of coaches at Odessa Junior College. He
was awarded a scholarship to run track. While
there in 1991 Amos won the NCJAA 110 hurdles
title. in 13.59 to rank third on the U.S. collegiate
list.
Give it everything
you've got and give it to
God.
He has a plan for
everybody.
BRIAN AMOS
It was about this time that Amos began to be dis-
satisfied with the non-Christian environment sur-
rounding him. "At Odessa things were happening
that I didn't care for" Amos said. "There was a lot
of back-biting among teammates and the environ-
ment for studying was not good. I started thinking.
'I want to go to a Christian college' so I called
ACU to ask if I could get a scholarship."
Winget remembers the stir Brian s phone call
created in the track office. The head coach for
men's and women's track at the time was Jerry
Dyes. "He just about freaked" Winget said. "After
he got off the phone he said 'I gottu go' and left
immediately to get the process started to get Brian
here. It was very exciting. The greatest athletes
usually have to be recruited. They don't just call
and say they want to come here."
Amos said the ACU environment helped him
both as an athlete and as a student "ACU incorpo-
rated Christian principles into everything" Amos
said. "There was more one-on-one student-teacher
involvement."
Coach Kittley agreed that a combination of ele
ments at ACU proved beneficial to Amos. But he
said Amos' hard work enabled him to beat all the
odds. "Brian had all the background not to have
made it. His family was not able to support him
financially" Kittley said.
"Brian was also a 'Prop 48' student" Kittley
said. "He had not scored high enough on his ACT
and SAT tests to immediately enter a university."
Proposition 48 allows students with low college
entrance exam scores to enter junior college build
their grades and.transfer to a university later.
"Brian worked very hard and graduated from ACU
with a 3.5 grade point and was named GTE Aca-
demic Ail-American" Kittley said.
Regarding Amos' athletic abilities Kittley
said "Brian was already an exceptional ath-
lete. He is very talented and is blessed with
great speed and endurance. We put him on a
weight training program and he got much stronger.
After gaining strength his times went from 13.6 to
13.4. In the world of track and field that kind of
improvement is remarkable."
Amos -acknowledges that he worked hard but
credits God for his success. He said he considers
his career a testimony to his faith in God. Kittley
said after every race Amos quietly and unobtru-
sively kneels for a moment in prayer.
"God gave me the talent" Amos said. "He
allowed me to make it through college and basi-
cally get a free education. So after a race I take a
moment to give Him honor whether I win or not.
It's my way of saying 'thank you' to Him for let-
ting me do something I love so much."
Amos did not always have that appreciation for
a personal faith. He said he had been raised in a
family that stressed going to church but he did not
take it seriously. My dad was so strong. He
always went to church and was constantly telling
me I needed to do what was right. I saw my dad as
a tough disciplinarian. I usciito wonder why he
was so hard on me."
But Amos reconsidered his priorities when he
was 18. That year his dad contracted
prostate cancer Amos had to watch the
father whom he had always considered invincible
die slowly and painfully He said the experience
changed his life.
"I suddenly realized life is short and there are no
guarantees" Amos said. "I looked at my life and
Wondered where I would spend eternity if some-
thing happened to me. That was the year I gave
my life to Jesus. Everything has changed since
then."
On July 4 1992 Amos made another life-changing
committment. He married the special woman
he had met at Odessa Junior College. Terri ran
hurdles at Odessa for the women's track team. She
and Brian met on the practice field.
"We met on the first day of the second
semester" Terri said. "He was the first person
saw that day. I watched him practice and I told
him his form was real good. We started talking and
later went to the library to study. We related easily
because we were trying to acheive some of the)
same goals." t
Terri later decided to leave her track careeiv'i
wanted to be there for Brian and the kids." The;
Amoses have two children; 2-year-old Katherino
and 1 -year-old Brian Keith.
Terri said "He shows his gratitude. He works'
real hard. His concern for the kids makes him even
more motivated. Before he went to nationals this
year he told me 'This is for you and the kids'
He's a great father. He takes little Brian to thd
track with him and looks forward to him running".
Terri said. "When the kids sec a track meet on TVJ
they assume it's Brian and they say "Mommy'
look it's Daddy!'" ;
Amos manages both to continue to train and to
support his family by working as a security guard
from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then going to the track;
to train from about 3 p.m. to o or 7 p.m. every
evening. He has begun working with 198S
Olympic 400 meter silver medalist from Jamaica
Trevor Graham. He hopes to run in the 1995
World Indoor meet and in the 1996 Olympics. '
Amos is beginning to make a name for himself
in European track as well. Kittley said European1
track fans treat track athletes like professional
football players are treated in the U.S. .
"In Europe thirty to forty thousand people
attend the meets. It's like going to a Dallas Co$
boy football game" Kittley said.
In Oslo Norway this summer Amos said fori?
showed their appreciation in a way characterise;
tic of American football fans. They did the
wave. '
Amos has recently submitted a proposal to
Reebok seeking sponsorship. "Malked to the repi
resentative at the USA- Africa meet and he
encouraged me to apply. I'm hoping to at least get
help with travel and gear expenses.' i
Terri Amos said sne believes in her husband's
goals and abilities. "He is dedicated to running. Hd
Believes his ability is a gift of God and he glorifies
God through his running. We are working togeth
er and what we are doing we do for Christ." j
Brian has acquired wisdom that would apply tq
anyone's persontUSgoals. "Give it everything
you've got and glvcjit to God. He has a plan for
everybody. Evenfnyou don't attain the original
goal you will grow in ways you'd never dreamed
of." ;
Those words sound like something written by
another European traveler almost two thousand
years ago. "No eye has seen no car has heard no
mind has conceivedlwhat God has prepared fof
those who love ImnJiJP ' 5
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 4, Ed. 1, Wednesday, September 7, 1994, newspaper, September 7, 1994; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92244/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.