Terrell Owens: 'I Could Beat Usain Bolt If I Got a 20-Yard Head Start'

On tonight's episode of Hard Knocks, the HBO show that chronicles the Dallas Cowboys, the cameras followed wide receiver Terrell Owens and a few others when they went out to dinner, and Owens was telling his fellow diners about his speed.

Owens first claimed that if he were in the Olympic 100-meter dash, he wouldn't come in last, which everyone at the table (and in the viewing audience) realized was patently ridiculous. Owens is fast, but he couldn't come close to out-running an Olympic sprinter.

But then he made a more interesting claim, saying that he could beat Usain Bolt -- if he got a 20-yard head start.

So could he? Bolt can run 100 meters in 9.69 seconds. Can Owens run 80 meters (actually about 82 meters, since Owens expressed his head start in yards) in less than 9.69 seconds?

I think he can. Owens can run 40 yards in about 4.6 seconds, and based on my back-of-the-envelope calculations, I figure he ought to be able to run 82 meters in somewhere between 9.0 and 9.5 seconds. So yes, he'd beat Usain Bolt in the 100 meters. As long as he got a 20-yard head start.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

9-04-2008 @ 12:10AM

sports-fan said...

Put pads on Bolt and lets see how fast he really is...

http://sports-fan.net/dallas-cowboys-throwback-jersey

9-04-2008 @ 1:27AM

ralph said...

would somebody shut this big mouth jerk .im tired of seeing his name in the news ,he is just a bum if it wernt for football he would be selling crack on the corner somewhere.he couldnt keep up with bolt if he was loaded down with 70lbs of weight so shut up and play football you bum and shut your mouth

9-04-2008 @ 6:54PM

Emmanuel said...

He wouldn't be a lawyer, business executive or a doctor huh? He would straight up be a crack dealer if he wasn't in the nfl huh? stereotyping must be like a reflex action for you... You don't even think about it anymore. I'm guessing u also think the cowboys would be better off with you as the starting WR.

9-04-2008 @ 7:02PM

He couldn't be a doctor, lawyer or a business executive huh? he would straight up be "selling crack on a corner somewhere" if he weren't in the nfl huh? Stereotyping must be some kind of a reflex action for you, you don't even realize your doing it anymore. I bet you also think the cowboys would be better off with you as the starting WR. You can probably run, Jump and change speed and direction (acceleration) better than he does huh? Now has that for stereotyping moron

9-08-2008 @ 1:58AM

Matthew said...

Your an idiot. You wish you were as good as Terrell Owens. He has the talent to bac up the trash talk so it doesn't matter how much he talks, as long as he can back it up. So you shut up, and call me the next time Terrell Owens has a bad year.

9-04-2008 @ 2:23AM

Anon said...

Remember, Usain Bolt was screwing around when he set the world record. If Bolt was serious, T.O. wouldn't have a chance.

9-04-2008 @ 12:19PM

mbyte said...

Terrell Owens is NOT fast. You must be the guy that assigned TO a 96 speed in Madden a few years ago. TO is a lot of things, but lets not add qualities to this athletic individual that he doesn't not actually have. He has miserable hands and is actually quite slow for a WR. Blah blah blah he puts up good numbers, I agree he's a top WR, but not a fast one.

He does have great acceleration and his ability to create positive yardage after the catch (if Mr. Butterfingers doesn't drop it) is second to none.

9-04-2008 @ 2:14PM

john said...

its gonna be fun watching this idiot fall....hes gettin up there in years 4 a reciever. he is convinced in his own mind that hes the worlds greatest athlete...lol. when his game starts 2 suffer, does any1 really expect him 2 man up?...no, hes gonna do what he has always done and blame every1 around him.....this oughta be fun....ahahahaha

9-04-2008 @ 4:39PM

dave said...

Ok look ocho cinco is a idiot but now TO has passed him in being the biggest idiot in football nobody in football can beat a olympic runner IMPOSSIBLE!!!!! TO needs to shutup and play football!

9-08-2008 @ 2:04PM

Tom said...

He could probably beat Bolt with a 20 meter headstart as that's a pretty big lead -- Bolt would be running 25% farther.

He also wouldn't finish in last -- I'm assuming he means overall and not in the final. The last place time in the final was 10.03 by American Darvis Patton -- there's obviously no way he could run that fast. The slowest time in the opening round was 12.60, I'm sure he could run that. However, I'd be shocked that he could run much under 11.00 because of his age and size -- and that would be about 63rd of 80 qualifiers.

9-04-2008 @ 6:49PM

Jason said...

Well, there have been football players who were world class athletes that could compete with Olympic athletes. One name in particular comes to mind......Willie Gault who competed on the 4 x 100 relay team (world record holders at the time) and would have been an Olympian in the 110m hurdles if the U.S. had gone to the Olympics in Russia in 1980.

9-04-2008 @ 8:07PM

The Reaper said...

ALL YOU HATIN ON T.O. ARE IDIOTIC IMBECILES!!! THE GUY'S HAVIN SOME FUN AND Y'ALL ARE STILL HATIN'... YOU FAT BELLIED MORONS.

DO NOT ANNOY THE REAPER!!!!!!

B**CHES!

9-05-2008 @ 12:30AM

jeff said...

Well put REAPER. He was joking...period.

9-05-2008 @ 8:08PM

Godyouresostupid said...

Owens runs sub-4.4 in the 40 (used to be able to run sub-4.3). He's also run a 9.02 in the 100 yards before (2001 Superstars competition), which projects to roughly 9.85 over 100 meters. It's too bad people who have absolutely no idea what they're talking about insist on commenting on this.

9-08-2008 @ 11:47PM

lexdada said...

Thank you!
Alot of footballers can beat track guys! I did. Also, alot of people do not know that Daryl Green Beat Carl Lewis in his 100 meter Hay Day in college and took people like wille gualt and other world class olympic sprinter out to lunch! Football players have something call Functional Speed which can not be measured on any scale!

9-05-2008 @ 7:08PM

tommy said...

TO is good and even tho he has dropped more than his share of passes that should have easlity been caught--he has proven his ability as a good reciever--not great--just real good but make no mistake about it--when he gets slower and cant cut the mustard anymore--jerry jones will lose him like a bad date

9-07-2008 @ 5:24PM

sharks-rule said...

T.O is a piece of crap that should just shut his mouth. and he could never beat an olympic sprinter

9-07-2008 @ 9:31PM

R.J. said...

4.6 forty has nothing to do with a persons straight line hundred meters speed. Newman sports a 4.37 at the combine, and Moss sported a 4.29 before last season, take them both back to the 2005 season Moss as a raider. Newman spots him seven yards and, then preceds to run him down. Owens make no mistake about it, is fast, why he is not as fast as he may lead you to believe, the guy will smoke about 90 percent of the people in our nation, and maybe 98 percent of the people in his age category. Smoke, not just beat, SMOKE...