BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Randall Lee "Randy" Lightfoot, a record-setting hurdler for Wayland Baptist in the 1970s and a member of the
WBU Athletics Hall of Honor, died Dec. 19, 2022, after a bout with cancer. No services are planned.
He was born Nov. 8, 1952, in Plainview to Lee Roy and Clara Hardin Lightfoot. He grew up in Plainview, graduating from Plainview High School in 1971.
An outstanding athlete, Randy won the Texas Class 4A 120-yard high hurdles in 1971 at Austin's Memorial Stadium in a time of 13.5 seconds, at that time tying a national high school record. He later had a time of 13.4 at a meet in Chicago.
He was named all-state in 1969, '70 and '71 and by the time of his graduation he had established or tied six national prep records in the hurdles and was recognized as 1971 National High School Prep Champion in the 120 highs. In 1972, he was named National Juniors Champion in the 110-meter highs.
In 1972, at a banquet in New York City, he was among several recipients of an award by the Benrus watch company for significant achievements regarding time and longevity.
Receiving a scholarship to the University of Texas, he won the hurdles in the inaugural Southwest Conference Indoor Track Meet in 1972 and tied the school record of 13.6 outdoors.
After sitting out two years, he transferred to Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, setting a school record at the time of 14.08 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles. He also set school records in the 60-yard indoor highs, 60-yard indoor intermediates.
He won second in the indoor and outdoor hurdles at the NAIA meets to earn All-American honors.
In 2001, he was inducted into the Wayland Athletics Hall of Honor. He also was named one of the top 100 athletes in the region by both the Amarillo Globe-News and the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
Randy was sports editor of the Plainview Daily Herald from 1981-83 then a sportswriter for the Odessa American for three years, including coverage of the highly-successful Odessa Permian High school football program. He later worked in the news department of the paper.
He earlier had been a sportswriter in Pampa and Borger and head track coach at West Texas A&M in Canyon for one year.
He also worked for Kmart, All-State Insurance and Schwan food.
Randy taught and coached in Floydada High School and a middle school in Temple, Riesel High School, and also taught at Waco High School and Lake Dallas High School.
He married Penni Hansen on Feb. 28, 1976, in Plainview. They were married for 29 years. He later married Julie Davis. He married Melissa Edwards on Oct. 12, 2019, in Bentonville, Ark.
Surviving are his wife Melissa; sons David Lightfoot of Bella Vista, Ark., and James Lightfoot and his wife Jenny of Austin; twin stepsons, Josh McCloud and Marty McCloud; a sister, Patty Lightfoot Murphy and her husband Mike of Corpus Christi; a grandson, Dillon Lightfoot and granddaughter, Clara Lightfoot, both of Bella Vista.
His parents and a brother, Mike Lightfoot, are deceased.
