Vol. 3 No. 35 November, 1963

November 1963

There was no report of cross country in the October issue so this issue jumps right to the championship meets with little mention of what preceded them. The IC4A meet is held November 18 in New York City, probably Van Cortlandt Park though it is not mentioned. Former Marine and current Villanova student Vic Zwolak opens such a large lead that even though he is bothered by a stitch in his side which slows him to a 5:13 final mile, he still wins by 120 yards and breaks the course record he set last year with a 24:46.8. Notre Dame takes the team title easily with 55 points followed by Brown (133), Michigan State (154) and Villanova (159).

A week later, November 26, the NCAA meet is held in East Lansing, Michigan and Notre Dame runs into the big boys from the west coast. Defending champion San Jose State enters the meet as a strong favorite and more than lives up to that billing, winning with 53 points to beat Oregon's 68. The Fighting Irish edge Kansas and Michigan State for third 128 – 130 - 135.

Vick Zwolak leading John Camien and Geoff Walker

Once again Vic Zwolak is the man of the hour though this time he has little margin for error. Emporia State's John Camien 

stays with him throughout the race only to be outkicked by ten yards. San Jose had it pretty much wrapped up early with three runners in the top ten: Jeff Fishback 3^rd, Danny Murphy 5^th and Ben Tucker 8^th.

From Dick Drake's “On Your Marks” column we learn that Wilbur Hutsell has retired after coaching Auburn for 42 years. He is replaced by Melvin Rosen...

Mel Rosen

.Larry Questad scored 18 points for Stanford in this year's NCAA meet, but he won't score any next year as he has been suspended for the year for an unmentioned fraternity prank. He will continue to train with Payton Jordan.....Joe Faust has married the unnamed 1962 Mt. SAC Relays Queen. (Her name, Joanne Radaich, was mentioned in the September issue. How hard would that have been to include?) ...Ernie Cunliffe has been transferred by the Air Force to the ROTC unit at the University of Oregon and will train with Bill Bowerman.....Max Truex has retired from track. He is the vice-president of his class at the USC School of Law.....Another USC post graduate, Dallas Long, has arranged his studies at the SC School of Dentistry so that he will have time to train for the Olympics. “He is on an all out weight training program and is as strong as an ox”.......Former Oxy and Strider hurdler Clarence Treat is the lead singer with the New Christy Minstrels…....Ray Barry, a 20 year old sprinter from the Virgin Islands will become the University of Miami's first Negro athlete......Speaking of Miami, Bob Schul has just enrolled. That would be the Ohio type Miami.....Oliver Jackson who has helped individuals or relay teams to break or tie 15 world records in his 15 years as coach at Abilene Christian has resigned to become district manager of American Founders' Insurance Company where he has worked part time for the last nine years.

Three quarters of a page is devoted to a fictitious 800 competition among the 12 greatest half milers of all time as seen by Roberto Quercetani, the European correspondent. To cut to the chase, semis pare the field down to Mal Whitfield, John Woodruff, Arthur Wint, Tom Courtney, Peter Snell and Rudolf Harbig. Wint leads with 200 to go, but Courtney and Harbig pass and pull away. But here comes Snell. He squeezes through on the inside with 50 meters to go and wins in a WR 1:43.6 (even 51.8 second splits). Harbig 1:43.9, Courtney 1:44.0, Woodruff 1:44.2, Whitfield 1:45.0 and Wint 1:45.2 follow.

Snell, Courtney, Woodruff and Dave Wottle.
 Looks like Dave Wottle could mediate this conversation about a hypothetical 800 race.  Where might he place himself?

Arthur Wint defeating Herb McKenley and Mal Whitfield while equalling the WR in 400 M at Wembley Stadium August , 1948

Harbig Smoking a Field in Berlin

This is somewhat akin to Sandy Koufax, leading 3-2 with one out in the ninth, pitching to Babe Ruth with Ricky Henderson on second.

Three pages are devoted to “The Tokyo Diary”, publisher Bert Nelson's diary of his experience as the manager of the US team at the recent Tokyo International Sportsweek meet. He relates incidents involving John Pennel, Russ Rogers and Larry Questad, but most importantly, this journal answers the question of what Pat Boone was doing anchoring a relay team in Ireland this summer.

The August issue of TFN has a photo of the singer running with baton in hand and no competition in sight. Even the boys down at the Dew Drop Inn were flumoxed by this seeming inanity. Finally we have the answer from the lips of one of Boone's relay teammates, Larry Questad.

“That's the craziest thing you will ever hear. Pat is a good friend of the owner of the stadium. The stadium wasn't doing well, so Pat wanted to help him with publicity. It worked. The stadium was packed. Pat may have looked good in the picture (editor's note: no he didn't), but he can't run worth a darn. He had about a 35 yard lead when I handed off to him and he lost all but six inches of it. He was running against a half miler, too.

Larry Questad, Any Resemblance to
Pat Boone , below?

Boone training for track meet?  I swear we
didn't photoshop this picture

“Everybody in town seemed to know that Boone was arriving and when our group got there they mistook me for him (ed. note: there is a resemblance) Ain't That a Shame?  . After the meet Pat threw a big party for us. Starlets and everything.” That's Pat Boone, lousy runner, but a friend of track and field. The boys will raise a glass in his honor Friday night at the Dew Drop.