LSU Gold

#999 Kelly Willie Season 2006

Position
Sprints
Height
5'10
Class
Redshirt
Hometown
Houston, Texas
High School
Sterling HS

Major: Communication Studies
Events: 60M (6.66), 100M (10.04w/10.19), 200M (20.21w/20.42), 400M (44.63)

2004 Olympic Gold Medalist (4×400 Relay)
Seven-time National Champion
19-time All-American

Leaves LSU as one of the most decorated athletes in school history … Won a total of seven NCAA titles and 19 All-America honors during his four-year career … His seven NCAA titles ties him with Xavier Carter for the most in school history, while his 19 All-America awards in the most in Tiger history … Is listed among LSU’s all-time top 10 performers in five individual events … Is the school record holder in the 60-meter dash (6.66).

2006
Capped an exceptional LSU career by helping the Tigers to three NCAA relay titles while earning a total of five All-America honors … During the outdoor season, anchored the Tigers’ 4×100 relay team to the NCAA title as he teamed with Richard Thompson, Xavier Carter and Marvin Stevenson to run a season-best 38.44 at the national meet … The win finished off an undefeated season for the foursome in the event as they won nine straight races, including the Texas Relays, Penn Relays, SEC Championships and NCAA Mideast Regionals … Also helped the Tigers’ 4×400 team to an undefeated season and a NCAA title, running the lead leg on the foursome that clocked a season-best 3:01.58 at the national meet … Individually, recorded the top NCAA finish of his career at the outdoor nationals, finishing second in the 200 meters (20.48) … Clocked that same time at the Mideast Regional to win the event … Earned All-SEC honors in the 200 meters after finishing second in 20.42 … Won the 200 meters at the Tiger Classic with a season-best wind-aided effort of 20.21 … Also, ran the 100 meters during the outdoor season, but missed advancing to the NCAA meet after false starting in the finals of the regional championships … Ran a wind-aided 10.04 in the prelims of the regional meet … Was the SEC runner-up in the 100 meters, crossing the line in 10.19 … Won the Texas Relays in 10.18w … Also finished first at the LSU Tiger Relays (10.25) … Ran the 400 meters twice during the outdoor season … Posted a season-best 45.42 in winning the Miami Elite Invitational … During the indoor campaign, ran the first leg on the Tigers’ national championship 4×400 relay team (3:04.01) … Also finished third in the 200 meters at the national meet, recording a personal best time of 20.46 … Time ranks as the second fastest in school history … At the SEC Indoor Championships, won the 200 meters (20.76), helped the Tigers to an additional first-place finish in the 4×400 relay (3:08.07) and finished second in the 55 meters (6.27) … Set a school record in the 60 meters at the NCAA Championships, clocking a personal-best 6.66 in the prelims … Missed scoring for the Tigers in the event after false starting in the finals … Picked up individual victories in the 200 meters at the Tyson Invitational (20.66) and in the 60 meters at the UNM Lobo (6.69) and New Balance (6.68) Invitationals.

2005
Collected the fourth NCAA title of his career at the outdoor national championships, running the second leg on the Tigers’ 4×400 relay team that won in collegiate record time (2:59.59) … Time was just the third sub-three minute performance in NCAA history and the first since the 1988 season … Also earned All-America honors as a member of the 4×100-meter relay team that finished fourth at the outdoor national meet (38.86) … Individually, earned All-America status in the 400 meters for the third straight season … Finished sixth overall, crossing the line in 45.17 … Finished second in the 400 meters (45.32), anchored the 4×400-meter relay team to a first-place showing (3:03.30) and helped the Tigers’ to a second-place finish in the 4×100 relay (38.77) at the NCAA Mideast Regional … Won his second straight open quarter title at the SEC Outdoor Championships (45.51) … Also helped the Tigers to a pair of second-place finishes and All-SEC honors in the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays at that meet … Turned in a season-best time of 44.97 in the 400 meters at the Sun Angel Classic … Also ran the 100 meters and the 200 meters, posting top marks of 10.11w/10.26 and 20.45, respectively … Following the collegiate season, went on to compete in the 400 meters at the USA Championships … Advanced to the semifinals where he placed 11th overall (46.17) … During the indoor season, earned another two All-America honors … Recorded the top individual finish of his indoor career, placing third in the 400 meters with a time of 45.41 … Won the open quarter at the Holiday Team Invitational, setting a facility record in the process (46.18) … Also ran the 60 and 200 meters during the indoor season … Won the SEC title in the 60 meters, crossing the line in 6.69 seconds … Also won 60 meter titles at the Bayou Bengal Invitational (6.74) and the LSU Twilight (6.72) … Scored for the Tigers in the 200 meters at the SEC Championships, placing fourth overall (20.80) … Turned in a season-best time of 20.68 during the prelims of the conference meet.

2004
Won an Olympic gold medal as part of the United States’ 4×400-meter relay team in Athens  … Clocked a 44.65 split as the lead leg during the preliminary round of competition, helping Team USA to a top qualifying time of 2:59.30 … Finished seventh in the 400 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, recording a time of 44.97 in finals … Was sensational in the qualifying rounds, posting the top time in the field and a personal best of 44.63 in the quarterfinals, and a time of 44.89 to finish third in the semifinals … During the collegiate season, earned a total of four All-America awards … Capped off a sensational sophomore campaign with a second-place finish in the 400 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (44.85), finishing behind eventual Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner … Also anchored the Tigers to All-America honors in the 4×400 relay at that meet … Won both the NCAA Mideast Regional (44.81) and SEC Championships (45.16) in the open quarter … Ran the third leg on the Tigers’ 4×400 relay that posted a then school record mark of 3:01.39 at the Penn Relays … Also anchored the Tigers to the Mideast Regional title in the long relay (3:05.20) … Ran the lead leg on the Tigers 4×100 relay team that recorded wins at the Texas Relays (38.93), the Gatorade Classic (39.07) and the Tiger Relays (39.44) … During the indoor season, helped the Tigers to just their second ever indoor national title, earning All-America honors in both the 400 and the 4×400 … Placed sixth in the open quarter (45.94) and anchored the Tigers to a fifth-place finish in the 4×400 relay (3:04.84) at that meet … Time of 45.94 in the 400 marked a season best … Won the SEC indoor title in the 400, clocking 46.12 … Ran 46.04 in the prelims … Ran the 200 meters four times during the 2004 season, posting top times of 20.83 indoors and 20.61 outdoors.

2003
Turned in an outstanding freshman campaign, winning three national titles as part of LSU’s 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay teams … Also earned All-America honors in the 400 meters during both the indoor and outdoor seasons … During the indoor season, anchored the Tigers to their first NCAA title in the 4×400 since 2001, teaming with Pete Coley, Marlon Greensword and Bennie Brazell to clock the third-fastest time in school history (3:04.79) … The same foursome also earned All-SEC honors with a second-place finish at the conference meet (3:05.62) … Earned All-America status with a sixth-place finish in the quartermile at the NCAA Indoors (46.17) … Topped the field in the prelims, clocking a season-best time of 45.79 … Finished fourth at the SEC Championships with a time of 46.18 … Clocked 46.76 at the Armory Invitational … Ran the 200 meters once, clocking a time of 21.45 at the Purple Tiger Invitational … During the outdoor season, anchored the Tigers to their second 4×400 national title of the season as LSU posted a near school record mark of 3:02.01 … Also ran the lead leg on the Tigers’ national champion 4×100 that posted the fourth fastest time in school history at the NCAA Championships (38.65) … Finished fifth in the 400 meters at the NCAA Outdoors with a time of 45.28 … Posted a season-best of 45.14 during the semifinal round of competition … Finished third in the quartermile at the NCAA Regionals (46.21) … Recorded a second-place finish in the event at the Mt. SAC Relays (45.62) … Ran the 200 meters three times during the outdoor season … Won the Tiger Twilight Classic with a season-best effort of 20.61.

HIGH SCHOOL
Named the Nike Athlete of the Year in 2002 … Recorded the fourth-fastest high school indoor 400-meter time (47.13) … Ran 47.49 in the event at the Nike Indoor Championships … Won the state championship in the 400 meters his senior season, clocking 45.52 … Also won the open quarter at the GWI Championships with a time of 45.52 … Won both the 100 and 200-meter races at the prestigious National Scholastic Sports Foundation’s Adidas Outdoor Track and Field Championships … Won the 100 meters in 10.35, but posted his top time during the preliminary rounds (10.24) … Outdistanced the competition in the 200 with a time of 20.83 … Both his times in the 100 and 200 at the Adidas Championships rank ninth all-time among high school runners … Earned Athlete of the Week honors in 2002 from the Houston Chronicle … Also earned four cross country letters while attending Sterling High School … A member of his school’s honor roll.

PERSONAL
Full name is Kelly Jeromy Willie … Born Sept. 7, 1982 … Son of Maureen La’Touche and Mac Perry … Has four siblings, Deborah, Juilia, Vernone and Lera.

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