This is a list of NCAA Division I outdoor champions in the 400 meter hurdles or its imperial equivalent, the 440 yard hurdles. For men, the imperial distance was contested from 1932 to 1975 excepting Olympic years, when the metric distance was contested. Metrication occurred in 1976, so all subsequent championships were at the metric distance. Hand timing was used until 1973, while starting in 1974 fully automatic timing was used. The women's race began in 1982.
Women
- Key
- A=Altitude assisted
| Year | Name, (Country) | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Tonja Brown | Florida St | 56.46 |
| 1983 | Judi Brown | Michigan St | 56.44 |
| 1984 | Nawal El Moutawakil  Morocco |
Iowa St | 55.84 |
| 1985 | LaTanya Sheffield | San Diego St | 54.64 |
| 1986 | Maria Usifo  Nigeria |
Texas Southern | 55.16 |
| 1987 | Linetta Wilson | Nebraska | 55.55 |
| 1988 | Schowonda Williams | Louisiana St | 55.53 |
| 1989 | Janeene Vickers | UCLA | 55.27 |
| 1990 | Janeene Vickers | UCLA | 55.40 |
| 1991 | Janeene Vickers | UCLA | 55.65 |
| 1992 | Tonja Buford | Illinois | 55.12 |
| 1993 | Debbie-Ann Parris  Jamaica |
Louisiana St | 56.37 |
| 1994 | Debbie-Ann Parris Jamaica |
Louisiana St | 55.54 |
| 1995 | Tonya Williams | Illinois | 55.17 |
| 1996 | Tonya Williams | Illinois | 54.56 |
| 1997 | Ryan Tolbert | Vanderbilt | 54.54 |
| 1998 | Rosa Jolivet | Texas A&M | 55.24 |
| 1999 | Joanna Hayes | UCLA | 55.16 |
| 2000 | Natasha Danvers  United Kingdom |
Southern Cal | 55.26 |
| 2001 | Brenda Taylor | Harvard | 55.88 |
| 2002 | Lashinda Demus | South Carolina | 54.85 |
| 2003 | Sheena Johnson | UCLA | 54.24 |
| 2004 | Sheena Johnson | UCLA | 53.54 |
| 2005 | Shauna Smith | Wyoming | 54.32 |
| 2006 | Markita James | Auburn | 54.47 |
| 2007 | Nicole M. Leach | UCLA | 54.32 |
| 2008 | Nickiesha Wilson Jamaica
|
LSU | 54.45 |
| 2009 | Nicole M. Leach | UCLA | |
| 2010 | Queen Quedith Harrison | Virginia Tech | 54.55 |
| 2011 | Ti'erra Brown | Miami | 55.65 |
| 2012 | Cassandra Tate | LSU | 55.22 |
| 2013 | Kori Carter | Stanford | 53.21 |
| 2014 | Shamier Little | Texas A&M | 55.07 |
| 2015 | Shamier Little | Texas A&M | 53.74 |
| 2016 | Shamier Little | Texas A&M | 53.51 |
| 2017 | Sage Watson  Canada
|
Arizona | 54.52 |
| 2018 | Sydney McLaughlin | Kentucky | 53.96 |
| 2019 | Anna Cockrell | USC | 55.23 |
| 2021 | Anna Cockrell | USC | 54.68 |
| 2022 | Britton Wilson | Arkansas | 53.86 |
| 2023 | Savannah Sutherland | Michigan | 54.45 |
| 2024 | Jasmine Jones | USC | 53.15 |
Men
- Key
- y=yards
- A=Altitude assisted
| Year | Name, (Country) | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Eugene Beatty | Michigan State Normal College | 52.9 |
| 1933 | not held | ||
| 1934 | not held | ||
| 1935 | not held | ||
| 1936 | Bob Osgood | Michigan | 53.4 |
| 1937 | not held | ||
| 1938 | not held | ||
| 1939 | not held | ||
| 1940 | not held | ||
| 1941 | not held | ||
| 1942 | not held | ||
| 1943 | not held | ||
| 1944 | not held | ||
| 1945 | not held | ||
| 1946 | not held | ||
| 1947 | not held | ||
| 1948 | George Walker | Illinois | 52.4 |
| 1949 | not held | ||
| 1950 | not held | ||
| 1951 | not held | ||
| 1952 | Bob DeVinney | Kansas | 51.7 |
| 1953 | not held | ||
| 1954 | not held | ||
| 1955 | not held | ||
| 1956 | Aubrey Lewis | Notre Dame | 51 |
| 1957 | not held | ||
| 1958 | not held | ||
| 1959 | Dick Howard | New Mexico | 50.6y |
| 1960 | Cliff Cushman | Kansas | 50.8 |
| 1961 | Dixon Farmer | Occidental | 50.8y |
| 1962 | Jerry Tarr | Oregon | 50.3y |
| 1963 | Rex Cawley | Southern Cal | 49.6Ay |
| 1964 | Billy Hardin | Louisiana St | 50.2 |
| 1965 | Larry Godfrey | San Diego St | 51.5y |
| 1966 | Bob Steele | Michigan St | 50.4y |
| 1967 | Bob Steele | Michigan St | 50.2Ay |
| 1968 | David Hemery United Kingdom
|
Boston | 49.8 |
| 1969 | Ralph Mann | Brigham Y | 49.6y |
| 1970 | Ralph Mann | Brigham Y | 48.8y |
| 1971 | Ralph Mann | Brigham Y | 49.6y |
| 1972 | Bruce Collins | Pennsylvania | 49.1 |
| 1973 | Robert Primeaux | Texas | 49.63y |
| 1974 | Bruce Collins | Pennsylvania | 50.30y |
| 1975 | Craig Caudill | Indiana | 50.44Ay |
| 1976 | Quentin Wheeler | San Diego St | 48.55 |
| 1977 | Tom Andrews | Southern Cal | 49.48 |
| 1978 | James Walker | Auburn | 48.92 |
| 1979 | James Walker | Auburn | 48.68 |
| 1980 | David Lee | Southern Illinois | 48.87 |
| 1981 | Andre Phillips | UCLA | 49.12 |
| 1982 | Dave Patrick | Tennessee | 48.44A |
| 1983 | Sven Nylander  Sweden
|
Southern Meth | 48.88 |
| 1984 | Danny Harris | Iowa St | 48.81 |
| 1985 | Danny Harris | Iowa St | 48.42 |
| 1986 | Danny Harris | Iowa St | 48.33 |
| 1987 | Kevin Young | UCLA | 48.9 |
| 1988 | Kevin Young | UCLA | 47.85 |
| 1989 | Winthrop Graham Jamaica
|
Texas | 48.55A |
| 1990 | McClinton Neal | Texas-Arlington | 49.23 |
| 1991 | Samuel Matete  Zambia
|
Auburn | 49.12 |
| 1992 | Dan Steele | Eastern Illinois | 49.79 |
| 1993 | Bryan Bronson | Rice | 49.07 |
| 1994 | Octavius Terry | Georgia Tech | 49.85 |
| 1995 | Ken Harnden  Zimbabwe
|
North Carolina | 48.72 |
| 1996 | Neil Gardner Jamaica
|
Michigan | 49.27 |
| 1997 | Joey Woody | Northern Iowa | 48.59 |
| 1998 | Angelo Taylor | Georgia Tech | 48.14 |
| 1999 | Bayano Kamani  Panama
|
Baylor | 48.68 |
| 2000 | Félix Sánchez  Dominican Republic
|
Southern Cal | 48.41 |
| 2001 | Bayano Kamani Panama
|
Baylor | 48.99 |
| 2002 | Rickey Harris | Florida | 48.16 |
| 2003 | Dean Griffiths Jamaica
|
Auburn | 48.55 |
| 2004 | Kerron Clement | Florida | 49.05 |
| 2005 | Kerron Clement | Florida | 47.56 |
| 2006 | Michael Tinsley | Jackson St | 48.25 |
| 2007 | Isa Phillips Jamaica |
LSU | 48.51 |
| 2008 | Jeshua Anderson | Washington State | 48.69 |
| 2009 | Jeshua Anderson | Washington State | 48.47 |
| 2010 | Johnny Dutch | South Carolina | 48.75 |
| 2011 | Jeshua Anderson | Washington State | 48.56 |
| 2012 | Amaechi Morton | Stanford | 48.79 |
| 2013 | Reggie Wyatt | USC | 48.58 |
| 2014 | Miles Ukaoma Nigeria |
Nebraska | 49.23 |
| 2015 | Michael Stigler | Kansas | 48.84 |
| 2016 | Eric Futch | Florida | 48.91 |
| 2017 | Eric Futch | Florida | 48.32 |
| 2018 | Rai Benjamin | California | 47.02 |
| 2019 | Quincy Hall | South Carolina | 48.48 |
| 2020 | Cancelled Due To Coronavirus | Cancelled Due To Coronavirus | |
| 2021 | Sean Burrell | LSU Tigers | 47.85 |
| 2022 | Sean Burrell | LSU Tigers | 48.70 |
| 2023 | Chris Robinson | Alabama | 48.12 |