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FSU Sprinter Looking For Perfect Ending

Tribune photo by COLIN HACKLEY

Walter Dix hopes to lead Florida State to a third straight NCAA outdoor title.

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By SCOTT CARTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 30, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - After Ato Boldon called him the greatest collegiate sprinter in history, after all those phone calls offering to make him rich, after winning seven NCAA titles and helping Florida State win back-to-back national outdoor championships, Walter Dix was supposed to have left FSU in the dust by now.

The so-called track experts and Internet pundits said there was no way Dix could pass up six- and seven-figure offers to turn pro, certainly not after Dix won the 100, 200 and 400-meter relay at last year's NCAA Finals - the first man to accomplish that feat since John Carlos for San Jose State in 1969.

Even his own coach, Bob Braman, wondered how serious Dix was about returning to school and keeping a promise he made to his parents - both lifelong educators - to get his college degree before chasing money and international fame on the track.

"I don't know if you are going to see a guy like Walter in the future, who could have made all that money," Braman said. "If that were my son, I would have said, 'OK, here is the new plan. We're going to turn pro, but I believe you'll graduate.' That's not Walter.

"He's a different guy."

Dix, 22, is currently in a class by himself, considered by many as the leading candidate to be the face of American sprinters for the next decade.

Dix admits he has done "pretty much" everything he wanted to accomplish at FSU other than set the NCAA record in the 100. He's not sure he'll try for the record this weekend in the NCAA East Region Finals on his home track, but Dix is determined to end his collegiate career in a way people remember.

He likened his quest to that of Big Brown, who will try to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years June 7 in the Belmont Stakes.

"Me and him are both in the same boat," Dix said. "People are watching him and people are watching me."

Dix's decision to return to FSU for his senior season and graduate - he earned a 3.2 GPA taking 17 hours during the spring semester to earn a social science degree last month - hasn't been without pitfalls, raising questions whether he can summon last year's magic.

First, Dix developed a case of strep throat during the indoor season, causing him to miss time. More troubling to his ultimate goal, Dix suffered a strained hamstring April 12 in his first outdoor meet of the season and had to miss four weeks of training.

He has been back in training for two weeks, and likes the way he feels heading into a summer aimed at representing the U.S. in the Beijing Summer Olympics.

"This is a great opportunity to actually come back and run at regionals in Tallahassee in front of my home fans and my home crowd," Dix said. "It's almost like a dream come true. I think I'm where I need to be."

At last year's East Region meet in Gainesville, Dix set an NCAA record in the 200 meter by winning in 19.69 seconds. He is expected to compete this weekend in the 100, 200 and 4x400 relay in preparation for the NCAA Finals on June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa.

In a bid to make the most of his opportunity this summer, Dix has changed his diet - no more fried foods - changed his sleeping habits and is finally free of the stress of studying, devoting the majority of his time to his track career.

"He's done his part for Florida State," Braman said.

Still, Dix wants to do more in his final two meets, primarily to help the Noles three-peat while he prepares for Beijing. That would be Dix's perfect ending.

"I don't think people really understood why I came back, why I turned down the money," he said. "It just made me hungry."

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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