Vol. 2 No. 25 December, 1960

DECEMBER 1960

This issue of Track and Field News is informationaly challenged. The front page has a photo of Rafer Johnson whom the magazine has named track and field athlete of the year. There is a lengthy preview of the indoor season, the world ranking for 1960, a number of minor cross country results (Southern Illinois 15, Illinois Normal 50 sort of thing) and a few road race results (City Hall to Coney Island Walk). In short, there isn't much.

The following are Americans and those foreigners residing in the US (*) ranked in the top ten in the world according to Track and Field News. 100: 2) Ray Norton 3) Charlie Tidwell 4) Dave Sime 9) Frank Budd 10) Paul Winder. 200: 2) Norton 4) Tidwell 5) Stone Johnson 6) Les Carney. 400: 2) Otis Davis 5) Glenn Davis 6) George Kerr* 8) Earl Young 10) Ted Woods. 800: 3) Kerr* 5) Jerry Siebert 8) Ernie Cunliffe. 1500/Mile: 6) Dyrol Burleson 10) Lazlo Tabori* 5000/3M: none 10,000/M: 6) Max Truex Steeplechase: none 110 Hurdles: 1) Lee Calhoun 2) Willie May 3) Hayes Jones 6) Chuck Cobb 7) Don Styron 8) Keith Gardner* 9) Dave Edstrom 400 Hurdles: 1) G. Davis 3) Cliff Cushman 4) Dick Howard 6) Eddie Southern 7) Josh Culbreath 8) Don Styron 9) Rex Cawley High Jump: 1) John Thomas 6) Charlie Dumas 7) Joe Faust 8) Errol Williams 9) Charles Lewis 10) Herman Wyatt Pole Vault: 1) Don Bragg 2) Ron Morris 3) J.D. Martin 4) Jim Graham 5) Bob Gutowski 7) Henry Wadsworth 8) Aubrey Dooley Broad Jump: 1) Ralph Boston 2) Bo Roberson 5) Hank Visser* 7) Greg Bell 8) Darrell Horn Hop-Step-Jump: 5) Ira Davis Shot Put: 1) Bill Nieder 2) Parry O'Brien 3) Dallas Long 4) Daved Davis 7) Jay Silvester Discus Throw: 1) Al Oerter 2) Rink Babka 4) Dick Cochran 5) Silvester 7) Bob Humphries 8) John Ellis Hammer Throw: 2) Harold Connolly Javeliin: 4) Al Cantello 6) Bill Alley Decathlon 1) Rafer Johnson 2) C.K. Yang* 5) Dave Edstrom 6) Phil Mulkey 10) Jim Klein

Columns provide the following. Bill Nieder is suffering from traumatic arthritis. The doctors have told him that if he continues to compete the knee will fuse into a stiff joint and he will walk with stiff leg the rest of his life. Wisely, Bill is retiring. He has applied for early release from the army. When that is granted he plans to go move to Los Angeles, attend acting classes and take some screen tests. The long term plan is to start a weight factory in the San Francisco area....Dave Sime is also hanging them up. He will concentrate on medical school......Don Bragg has decided to postpone his Tarzan in the movies career for a year in an effort to become the first 16 foot vaulter.....We won't be seeing Bobby Poynter wearing the colors of San Jose State this year. His collegiate athletic career may be over, the result of being placed on disciplinary probation for being accused of stealing sweaters from a store. No charges have been filed....The Mt. SAC Invitational claims to be the largest cross country meet in the US with 2,145 competitors in the high school division...... Roger Moens, is not a man to mince words. Writing for a Belgium newspaper, the world record holder at 800 meters says that there are four events that should be dropped from track and field programs: the marathon (“It's inhumane”), the hammer throw (“It ruins the grass”), the hop-step-jump (“An event for those who have no chance in the broad jump”) and particularly, walking (“All that hip wiggling does is make the spectators laugh”) .......San Jose State will be enrolling the junior college discus record holder, a young man who threw 171-8 at Fresno CC. He certainly has the size at 6-8½, 245. His name is Harry Edwards.......And finally, this bit of news from Hal Bateman's column: The favorite pre-race meal of New England distance runners is oatmeal.

Remember last month's snafu with TFN's first full page ad, the one for Champions on Film in which the address lacked the mention of the city? Well, the Nelson brothers got it right this time. The ad appears again in this issue. The address is 303½ South Main Street, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN. This additional information should dramatically increase sales.