Cliff Bertrand

A Trinidadian, Cliff Bertrand ran for the West Indies Federation at the 1960 Roma Olympics and for his native Trinidad & Tobago at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Bertrand won three bronze medals at the 1959 and 1963 Pan American Games. He ran in college for New York University, and later earned a masters’ degree from that school. Bertrand won West Indies Championships in the 200, 400, and 4x400 relay in 1958. He also competed at both the 1958 and 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Bertrand went on to earn an Ed.D. degree from Columbia University and studied for a law degree at Queens College in New York. He became the head track & field and cross-country coach at New York University after serving as a coach at Jamaica High School and Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in New York City. In addition to track & field, Bertrand coached the MLK High School boy’s soccer (football) team to 10 consecutive Borough Championships. He would eventually receive New York’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for his contribution to athletics in the New York City schools’ athletic league.

Personal Best: 200 – 20.7 (1965).