Bob King has been a leader in Delaware track and field, as an athlete, coach, and civic volunteer.

At Howard High School, he was twice the state cross country champion, setting a high school record of 10:48 at Rockford Park’s 2.3-mile course that lasted a decade. He also scored in the 100 and long jump and was state champion in the 880 and low hurdles, helping Howard win three New Castle County and state championships.

At Morgan State University, he captained winning mile relay teams at the Boston Garden Meet, the Washington Star Meet, Penn Relays College Division 880 relay, the National Indoor AAU and the Millrose Games, which the Bears won three times.

At Howard, he returned his alma mater to prominence, turning the Wildcats into the state’s best Division 2 team in 1977, followed by state championships in 1980, 1983 and 1984, and a girls indoor title in 1982 before becoming an administrator and principal. His 1984 Wildcats ran a 3:14.2 mile relay, still a state record.

In 2001, he revived the Wednesday night track meets for youth at Baynard Stadium, which had been discontinued. Working with other volunteers, he reinstated the events through which generations of athletes have developed. In 2015, the City renamed the Wednesday event as the Bob King Developmental Track Meets.

He was inducted into the Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1995, and the Delaware Afro-American Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2016, he received the Herm Reitzes Award for Public Service from the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association.