Hines ran 9.9 with a hand-clenched time at the U.S. Championships in Sacramento in the summer of 1968. It was not until 1977 that electronic timekeeping was required for official world records.
At the Mexico Olympics at high altitude in October of that year, he won the 100 meters in 9.95 and officially became the first person to run under 10 seconds with electronic timekeeping. He was also a member of the United States' winning 4x100 meter relay team.
Olympic medals stolen on return home
Shortly after Hines arrived home in Houston, his gold medals were stolen in a burglary. Hines then advertised in a local newspaper and received them back via a letter in the mail.
"I chose track and field because I got a taste of what it was like to win," Hines told his own website much later.
The record of 9.95 stood for 15 years until 1983 when American compatriot Calvin Smith ran 9.93.
After the Mexico City Olympics, Hines quit track and field at just 22 years old and switched to American football, NFL, where he had a brief unsuccessful career.