Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1993
Reynaldo Brown won the high jump in the NCAA Division II Championships in 1971 and 1973, and later went on to win the Division I Championship in each of those same seasons. At the time, Division II champs were allowed to compete in the higher division. Other accolades for the Los Angeles native included All-League, All-Conference and All-American honors, and a Collegiate Athlete of the Year award. He also was a member of the President's Physical Fitness Program.
Reynaldo competed in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City as a high school senior and retrained for the 1972 Munich games. He also competed in the 1971 Pan Am Games. He set the small college record in the high jump and also set the Cal Poly and NCAA record with a 7-foot, 4-inch jump in 1973. Reynaldo was the last of the world class high jumpers to use the "straddle" technique.
While at Compton High School, Brown won the California state high school title in the high jump three straight times. He was the first high school athlete to jump seven feet.
After a career with Hughes Aircraft, Reynaldo became a computer operator with Inland Empire Health Plan in San Bernardino, Calif. He competes in Masters track meets in Northern and Southern California. In his spare time he volunteers at Eisenhower High School in Rialto as a coach.
Brown, who had a kidney transplant and credits his athletic conditioning to his recovery and survival, has four children and six grandchildren.
