The Passing of the Mentor to Many
On June 12, 2023, Olympic gold medalist Harvey Glance, a Phenix City native and former Auburn University track star and coach, died at the age of 66 after suffering cardiac arrest earlier in June. Notably, Glance didn’t have any history of heart trouble and wasn’t complaining about any health problems.
Glance was part of the Team USA men’s 400-meter relay team that won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. He also held the then-world record in the 100 meters and won the NCAA championship in that event. Glance coached track and field at Auburn University (1991-96), and the University of Alabama (1997-2011).
He passed away while waiting for a training session with another Olympic gold medalist, Kirani James. James walked over to Glance to tell him he was ready to begin practice, but Glance was unresponsive.
Glance’s wife finds comfort in knowing that he passed away in the environment he loved, and he will be remembered as both an athlete and a mentor to many.
