He trained under Jimmy Curran at Mercersburg Academy and Jim 'Jumbo' Elliott at Villanova University.

[1][2] He competed for his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1956 and was the flag bearer for Puerto Rico in the 1964 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

[3] He is a three-time gold medalist at the Central American and Caribbean Games: 1959, 1962 and 1966.

Cruz later became a lawyer and president of a life insurance company.

This biographical article relating to Puerto Rican athletics is a stub.