Lutz studied at the
University of Kansas where he was a key member of the
Kansas Jayhawks track team between 1971 and 1974. During his time there he tried to qualify for 200 m event at the
1972 Munich Olympics but was eliminated in a qualifying heat at the
United States Olympic Trials. He was renowned at the time he was running for being one of the very few white sprinters at the elite level in the U.S. Lutz won a gold medal at the
World University Games in 1973 as part of the
4 × 400 metres relay. That same year he was runner up at the
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 200 metres. Lutz the British
AAA Championships title in the 200 metres event at the
1974 AAA Championships. In 1976, and now attending
Long Beach State University, Lutz qualified for the 200 m at the
1976 Montreal Olympics by finishing third at the trials. Lutz was a surprise qualifier. He was even last at the turn in the final, overtaking the more highly fancied
Steve Riddick only in the closing stages. His American teammates
Millard Hampton and
Dwayne Evans went on to medal in the competition, finishing second and third respectively. In 1976 he was married to distance star and both a Pacific Coast Club teammate and Long Beach State University classmate
Francie Larrieu. She hyphenated her name during the period they were married. They divorced in 1978. He later married hurdler
Patrice Donnelly, also a Montreal Olympian. ==References==