By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
For all his accomplishments in track and field, it’s possible that the most significant aspects of Cliff Wiley’s career occurred away from the track.
Former University of Kansas track star Cliff Wiley will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 2 at Washburn University. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]
One of the world’s top sprinters in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Wiley will be inducted to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony at Washburn University on August 2.
Highlighting Wiley’s career are wins in the men’s 400 meters at the 1981 Athletes World Cup in Rome and at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas. As a member of the University of Kansas track team, Wiley was an All-American and three-time national champion.
But before he hit those heights, Wiley was embroiled in a lawsuit with far-reaching implications for college athletes.
Having accepted Pell Grant money, which the NCAA considered an extra benefit, in addition to his track scholarship, Wiley was ruled ineligible by the governing body.
“It just didn’t make any sense to me,” Wiley said about the NCAA ruling. “I was 19 years old, fighting a case against the NCAA in federal court, sitting there with a guy from the Douglas County Legal Aid Society. We look over at the NCAA lawyers and they’re wearing these expensive suits…they weren’t shopping at the discount store.
“Where I came from, you tried to stay as far away from the law as you could, because in my neighborhood, if you had contact with the legal system, it was because you had done something wrong, or somebody had done something wrong to you.”
The lead plaintiff in Clifford Wiley vs. the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Wiley wound up separated from his KU teammates and without much of a support system.
“It was a tough deal,” Wiley said. “I didn’t understand all of the legalities, so it was difficult to talk to your family and friends about it.
“Other athletes were getting (Pell Grant) money. They would ask me what to do. I said ‘Keep taking the money. I wouldn’t tell anybody about it. But keep taking the money.' ”
Wiley trained on his own during the spring of his freshman year while the case went to court. He was finally permitted to compete thanks to an court injunction.
“I only competed in two meets that year – the conference meet and the NCAA meet,” Wiley said. “Then you go to the Olympic Trials. That’s not enough time when you’ve been sitting out the whole outdoor season, training by yourself.”
In what Wiley calls the biggest disappointment of his career, he failed to make the 1976 Olympic team.
“Guys who I had beaten my freshman year made the team,” Wiley said. “I lost that opportunity. The 200 was my best race, but I thought even if I didn’t make it in the individual race, I had a good chance of at least making the top six at the Olympic Trials in the 200, which would have put me in the relay pool.”
Wiley returned to KU and set his sights on the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. He qualified for the team in the 200 meters. But tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union escalated over the Soviets’ invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979, leading President Jimmy Carter to boycott the Summer Games. Wiley’s dream was once again deferred.
Those disappointments didn’t tarnish Wiley’s college resume, however. As one of the top sprinters coming out of high school in 1974, Wiley had offers from a lot of the best track programs in the nation. Kansas State University and the University of Kansas were both in the running.
“If you sent me a plane ticket, I came to visit your school,” Wiley said. “I visited Kansas and Kansas State because neither I nor my family understood the difference. It didn’t make sense to us. My mom would say, ‘The coach from Kansas called,’ not knowing which school it was. Several calls came in and we were like, ‘Didn’t I just talk to this coach yesterday?’ ”
Wiley ultimately selected the University of Kansas, which he called ‘one of the blue bloods of track and field in those days.’ He said the track athletes at KU exuded a quiet confidence.
“I could feel it when I got there,” Wiley said. “They were focused on the nationals. They had several guys who were national champions. It was like KU basketball is now – you just expected to be the best.”
Once his eligibility was restored, Wiley contended for conference and national titles. His graduation rendered the legal battle moot as far as he was concerned. The case was eventually dropped. But the NCAA ultimately changed its stance, allowing students to accept Pell Grants in addition to athletic scholarships.
After college, Wiley remained a top sprinter. And that was when he finally focused on what would become his best event, the 400 meters.
“My best years were after college. I won National Championships in ‘81 and ‘82 in the 400. The vast majority of my success came while breathing Kansas air. I’ve always felt at home here. I’ve had a certain comfort factor here.”
He also found a career path. Intrigued by the lawsuit that bore his name, Wiley entered KU Law School.
“The people who were involved in my case did a good job of trying to explain the concepts of it to me,” Wiley said. “It piqued my interest. I can’t say that I was confident that I could become a lawyer. I was just more focused at the time on making the next Olympic team. I wanted to get an education, but I didn’t have that direction until later.”
Just when things were falling into place for Wiley on and off the track, his Olympic hopes were dashed once again. A favorite to make the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles in the 400, Wiley suffered a pulled hamstring that derailed his training. He finished sixth, missing the Olympics for the third and final time.
Despite never running in the Olympics, Wiley put together a career that is as historically significant as it was successful. And on August 2, he will be one of 10 new members who will join the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, a group that includes his former KU track teammate, Laverne Smith.
“I feel a great honor to be included with this group of inductees and to be recognized in this way,” Wiley said. “Sometimes your legacy is defined by the people around you. To go in with this group is very special.”
Tickets for the ceremony and lunch, which begin at 10 a.m., are available online at kshof.org. The event is at the Washburn University Union Ballroom at 1700 SW College Ave.
