Josh Culbreath

Joshua "Josh" Culbreath (born September 14, 1932) is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 meter hurdles — the national outdoor champion from 1953 to 1955; three-time winner of the event in the Penn Relays in the same years, and Olympic bronze medal winner in 1956, while he was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps; and world record holder in 1957. Culbreath was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Joshua Culbreath was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on September 14, 1932. Culbreath began running the hurdles in high school and 1951 was ranked second in the U.S. in the 200 yard low hurdles and was the Pennsylvania's state high school champion in that event.

Culbreath graduated from Morgan State College in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, where he was the USA Outdoor champion in the 400m hurdles for three consecutive years — 1953, 1954, and 1955. He was also a three-time winner of the event in the Penn Relays during the same years, the last time this has been accomplished. Culbreath later received a Master of Arts degree in Education from Temple University.

He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1956 to 1958. During his time in the Marine Corps, he competed for the United States in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia in the 400 metre hurdles where he won the bronze medal. He also won several military and NATO track and field medals. He set the world records in the hurdles in 1956 and 1957 — in the 300 yard Oval Grass Track, set in Bendigo, Australia in 1956 and in the 440 yard hurdles, set in Oslo, Norway in 1957.

In 1988, Culbreath became the track and field coach at Central State University in Ohio, where he coached his team to 10 NAIA championships. Four of his athletes competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, including the 400m hurdles gold medalist, Deon Hemmings. His son, Jahan Culbreath, also an All-American 400m hurdler, is now the coach at Central State.

After his time coaching at Central State, he became the athletic director at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Culbreath also was a regular in Las Vegas on Fox Sports radio with partners Houston Astros former farmhand turned Arleta High School (CA) head coach Rich Perez (see family tie below) and Minnesota Vikings Joey Browner from 2002-2005 while all three represented CMX Sports and Entertainment.

He made two guest appearances on The Cosby Show, playing the character Colonel Sanford B. "Tailwind" Turner, Cliff Huxtable's college track rival.

Culbreath now resides back in Norristown, PA and is still very instrumental in the lives of athletes, his latest protégée is former NCAA Gymnast Risa Perez of Oregon State a transfer from Arizona State Gymnastics who Culbreath has assisted in guiding the young Gymnastics star since her childhood in Las Vegas. Culbreath also assisted and mentored her late brother late US Marine LCpl Richard A. Perez Jr. (1985-2005) who was lost in accidental tragic circumstance in Iraq. Culbreath also appears from time to time on CBS Sports Radio with their father host Rich Perez in Las Vegas, NV.