Former KU Jayhawks track and field standout Halcyon MacKnight dies at age of 61
Former University of Kansas track All-American Halcyon MacKnight died Thursday in Kernersville, North Carolina at the age of 61, Kansas athletics department confirmed Monday.
A long jumper and sprinter, MacKnight, whose nickname at KU was “Tudie,” earned All-America honors in the long jump (indoor and outdoor) three times from 1982-83. The Kansas Relays’ long jump was renamed “Halcyon ‘Tudie’ MacKnight-Blake Women’s Long Jump” in 1995 to honor MacKnight’s accomplishments as a Kansas competitor.
A KU team captain in 1982 and ’83, MacKnight was a two-time Big Eight Conference indoor champion — 1981 in the long jump and 1982 in the 1,600 yard relay. She won the Big Eight Conference outdoor title in the long jump four times (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983) and was a part of the 1,600 meter relay league outdoor title team once (1982).
MacKnight won the Triple Crown at Texas and Drake and the Kansas Relays from 1981-1983 (in the long jump). She is an 11-time All-American in the 1,600 relay and long jump.
“Being at Kansas was such an honor because KU had such a legacy,” MacKnight, a native of North Carolina, told the Lawrence Journal-World in 2006 when she returned to Lawrence for “KU Track Legends and Friends” charity dinner.
“I thought I was a legend in my own mind,” she joked, pointing out she was honored to be on the same stage with fellow KU track legends Candace Mason Dunback, Bill Nieder, Billy Mills, Jim Ryun, Al Oerter, Wes Santee, Theo Hamilton, Cliff Wiley and Bob Timmons at that event.
MacKnight added: “Kansas has had such a fantastic athletic program,and I try to keep tabs as much as possible. Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk.”
And at the dinner she concluded her speech by saying: “For me it was truly an honor being listed as one of the greatest track and field athletes to ever come out of the University of Kansas. I can truly say I am proud to be a Jayhawk. Rock Chalk Jayhawk, KU!”
Competing for Jamaica, MacKnight placed ninth in the long jump in the 1983 Helsinki IAAF World Championships.
Mason Dunback said MacKnight inspired other athletes at KU.
“When I first came to KU I studied the record board that used to be displayed in Anschutz (Pavilion). Tudie’s name and marks are certainly ones that stood out to me. The start of my long jump approach was right by her name on the wall,” Mason Dunback said. .”I also had two teammates who were coached by her in high school. I knew her by the way they talked about her… nothing but respect as a coach and mentor.
“She inspired me before I knew her. That’s the truth,” Mason Dunback added. “In my later work with K Club (club for former KU athletes), I got to know her more as a person and what I will always remember is that even though we didn’t compete together, she made me feel like her teammate through her kindness. Her positive mindset and the way her teammates rallied around her when she needed them most is something we can all learn from. Rock Chalk forever Tudie.”
After graduating from KU, MacKnight served as assistant track coach at University of North Carolina, head track coach at Methodist University and the director of track and field at Winston-Salem State University. She coached both men’s and women’s athletes at all three stops.
MacKnight moved to Kernersville, North Carolina and became an author, speaker and personal development coach while also being the founder and president of Halcyon M. MacKnight Enterprises. MacKnight wrote two books called “A Peek into My Soul” and “A Cry in the Dark.”
On her LinkedIn page, MacKnight wrote: “As an Olympian (alternate for Jamaica) and former world class athlete, I am fortunate to have made incredible and rewarding relationships in the United States and around the world. The most rewarding work that I get to do is teaching and coaching many young people on building relationships, performing their best as well as providing them the tools needed to reach and achieve their goals.
“I provide training for small group leaders, consultations for organizations on team building, schools, and coaches who want their staff to be better and different in their approach to solving issues. I work also with persons who have been abused physically and or emotionally. My greatest reward is hearing a parent, say, ‘Thank You’ or a coach saying, ‘Thanks for making a difference with my team’, or a young adult say, ‘Thanks for helping me.’ It is truly exciting to share my platform of ‘Believing in yourself.’
“Once I learned about my gift of helping others whether through my coaching, speeches, workshops or seminars I decided that I had to share this message of believing in oneself. My business is a little different than most because I can reach not only the athletic sector, but individuals, schools, and businesses.”
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
