Tyreek Hill is called Cheetah for a reason! In today’s day and age, the Dolphins‘ wideout is one of the fastest athletes in the league, a trait we have seen shine through in his confidence. He even famously challenged Usain Bolt, the actual fastest man alive, in a dash. This challenge, however, never materialized, and truth be told, there are more than a few athletes in the NFL, who have already surpassed him in terms of speed.
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During his recent appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, Tyreek Hill once again discovered that, in some way, a former NFL player has set a speed record that will likely remain unbroken for a while. We are talking about Devin Hester, the former star receiver and return specialist, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. A decade back, the former Lions man etched his name in the history books by outrunning the fastest land animal — a cheetah.
Former running back Fred Taylor recounted the story during the podcast with a tone similar to that of a campfire story, and Hill couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Fred narrated, “There was once upon a story about a man who outran a cheetah in a 120-yard race,” further adding, “A cheetah accelerates 0 to 60 in 3 seconds.” With confusion on his face, Hill said, “Hold on! So, a guy outran a real cheetah? That’s not right.”
However, as soon as Taylor mentioned that the guy in question had just been inducted into the Hall of Fame, it took about a second for Hill to guess that it was none other than Devin Hester.
“You talking about Devin Hester?” Hill quipped. “I never heard that story.“
Subsequently, Hill recalled having a chat with his former special team coordinator, Dave Toub, who also coached Devin in Chicago. Hill claimed that Dave apparently labeled him the faster athlete between him and Devin; however, Hill’s coach dubbed Devin as the better returner, which kind of hurt Hill a little bit.
How did Devin Hester Outrun a Cheetah?
Now, you must be wondering how the four-time Pro Bowler wideout managed to outrun a Cheetah when it’s physically impossible for someone to reach 60mph in just three seconds. Well, there’s a catch.
In November 2013, National Geographic brought along Devin Hester and Chris Johnson for a special, where the duo was pitted against a cheetah. To make things fair, Devin and Chris ran back and forth over a 30-yard distance four times, for a total of 120 yards. The former Titans’ RB still couldn’t outrun the Cheetah, while Devin managed to do so — but only by a few feet.
It’s also worth mentioning that fans were not at all impressed by this competition. While some felt that the cheetah was released too late, others expressed that surpassing the fastest land animal isn’t even a question in a straight line.
