Short answer is YES!
Ok, so you won't find any hitting or quick changes in directions while participating in track. However, speed work, strength work, balance, flexibility and focus are common attributes that you will develop or continue to develop while participating in track.
Corbett Smith, staff writer with the Dallas News has an excellent article ( find here) on why coaches in the Dallas area want their football players running track in the spring.
I think we can all agree that football, basketball and baseball are the top three sports in the USA. They get the most air TV time and recruiters heavily go after athletes that show promise in these sports. Track & Field gets very little TV time (at least in our area) and let's face it, the 'ball-sports' sports use running as a punishment!!
As Track & Field coaches, we have our work cut out for us to bring popularity back to our sport. Yes, track is tough and youth track and field meets can go from 7am to 7pm every Saturday.
How do we overcome these obstacles? By teaching that track is a necessity! We get some good football and basketball athletes to come out for track. On the first day, however, they find out that they are not in as good a shape as they thought. Furthermore, some athletes are naturally quick and fast, but has a running form that does not help their speed. Track & Field can correct this improving their running mechanics.
One of the most popular measuring sticks for a Football player is their 40 Yard Dash. Micah Kurtz from STACK.com ( http://www.stack.com/2012/12/18/football-run-track/ ) gives you three good reasons why football players should run track:
You'll Find your fastest running form
You'll build a better burst
You'll get more speed with less effort
Finally, ( http://www.freelapusa.com/10-reasons-to-join-the-track-team/ ) list 10 good reasons why you run track.
On the track, he is a 1987 graduate of North forsyth High School. Harvey joined The Winston Salem Roadrunners as an athlete at age 13, where he found guidance from the many coaches that volunteered their time to help the youth in poor neighborhoods.
After High School, Harvey studied at Winston Salem State University for a year before transferring to Appalachian State University to continue his studies and run track.
At Appalachian, he was a pure sprinter with the 55M and 100M dash as his best events. Harvey was a part of the team that won several conference meets from 89-91.