Dezalya Manns (2000) - JMU Athletics Hall of Fame - James Madison University Athletics

Dezalya Manns

Induction:
2000
Class:
1989

Dezalya A. Manns set records as a JMU long jumper that still stood after more than a decade when he was inducted into JMU's Sports Hall of Fame. The Bassett, Va., native originally enrolled at JMU to play football but as a track and field performer became one of the leading competitors in the nation. In 1988 he jumped 26-feet-11 3/4-inches at the JMU Invitational, and that mark was more than a foot better than any other JMU effort and still ranked as the Eastern college record when he joined JMU's Hall of Fame.

Manns participated in the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump, and he was an NCAA meet participant twice indoors (1987, 1988) and outdoors (1987, 1988). He won indoor (1987) and outdoor (1986, 1987) long jump titles at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) Championships, and he was an outdoor All-America in 1987 when he placed in the NCAA meet. Manns won the long jump title at the 1987 Penn Relays, and he participated in the long jump in the 1987 U.S.A. Championships and the 1987 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival.

As a sprinter Manns was a member of JMU teams that were ranked in the top 10 nationally in the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relays. He was recruited to JMU as running back and defensive back in football, and he ran for a touchdown in 1983 against Davidson.