After going through 1971 undefeated, the Opelousas, Louisiana athlete earned the nickname Hot Rod and was awarded the Track and Field News Athlete of the Year Award. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Rodney won the gold medal in the 110m hurdles in a time of 13.24 seconds, ahead of Guy Drut and Thomas Hill. To cap the victory the time was a new world record.
Milburn spent some time coaching young athletes at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but often found himself without a job. The "Hot Rod's" life went quickly downhill and he ended up in a homeless shelter. At a paper plant in Port Hudson, Louisiana, in November 1997, Rodney was overcome by sodium chlorate fumes he was transporting from a rail car.
His death came as a huge shock to the track and field community who vividly remembered Rodney's achievements on the track.
See also
Olympic medalists in athletics
Olympic medalists in athletics (men) | Olympic Champions in Men's 110 m hurdles
RodneyMilburn, 47, who won a gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, was found dead in a liquid-chemical tank at a Georgia Pacific paper plant in Port Hudson, LA.
Milburn, born May 18, 1950, in Opelousas, LA, attracted national attention as a hurdler at J.S. Clark High School in Opelousas and was a star at Southern University in Baton Rouge.
Milburn retired as a professional in 1983 and was later track coach at Southern University.
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