Marquise Goodwin wins inaugural $1 million 40-yard dash competition
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin proved his speed is on another level by winning the inaugural 40 Yards of Gold tournament on Saturday night.
Pro football players gathered at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday for a tournament-style sprinting competition. The players were broken up into two brackets, one with eight offensive players and the other with eight defensive players.
Goodwin and Carolina Panthers defensive back Donte Jackson made the finals of the event, which Goodwin won to capture the $1 million prize.
Marquise Goodwin beats Donte Jackson and wins $1 million @40YardsofGold race pic.twitter.com/Tf89kKKFjz
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) June 30, 2019
Marquise Goodwin with the $1 million check for winning the inaugural 40 Yards of Gold. pic.twitter.com/5R8IGbLHyZ
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) June 30, 2019
Jackson actually got into the finals on a controversial win over John Franklin III.
Donte Jackson tops John Franklin III by .01 (!) seconds in a 40 Yards of Gold semifinal.
It’s Jackson vs. Marquise Goodwin in a big-name final. pic.twitter.com/yeUBn9GesJ
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) June 30, 2019
The event was hosted by Chad Johnson and featured a performance from Rick Ross.
Ted Ginn Jr., who helped publicize the event, no-showed, as did Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson won his first race but did not compete after that.
The event is the product of co-founders Charles Stewart and Alijah Bradley, who did not reveal their financial backers. The tournament is similar in nature to the “NFL’s Fastest Man” competition from the ’80s.
In addition to being an NFL wide receiver, Goodwin has competed in the Olympics as a long jumper and is also an accomplished sprinter. He ran track at Texas and was a four-time All-American.