V 6 N. 55 July, 1966

JULY 1966

    With the William Tell overture playing softly in the background, we invite you to return with us now to those golden days of yesteryear. No, not the Lone Ranger, but the wonderful month of July, 1966. Stir a spoonful of Metamucil in your cocoa, relax in your recliner and be transported to a simpler time half a century ago.

The Lone Ranger Overture 27 seconds  Readers,  please indulge Roy on this . 

 "The definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to this piece by Rossini and not think of The Lone Ranger."   George Carlin

Richard Mach was sufficiently inspired by the previous paragraphs to include this essay on the Lone Ranger.

"I've always had problems with a horse, any horse, even a white horse, traveling at velocities that would allow it to circumnavigate the globe at the equator 7.48 times within any given second.  Always seemed to me just a tad fast.   Beyond that I would like to note as a self proclaimed ersatz authority that -- as a boy --  I lived 1.6 miles from the original Lone Ranger's "ranch" on Drahner Rd in Oxford. MI.   And rode my ballooned tired bike up there from the house once a week on average to gaze at and admire "Silver."  Every 7:30 on Thursday I'd lay on the floor in front of the giant Motorola radio listening to his exploits.  Now, I am talking about the RadioLone Ranger, that is, before the advent of the Clayton Moore era on television. The guy behind the mask name was Brace Beemer, he kept that beautiful white stallion in the paddock for all to see and frequented a bar in the adjoining town immediately to the south, Lake Orion, most nights wearing a pair of six guns until one night when ... well ... he managed -- however advertently or not --to  discharge said weapons within the premises and that initiated an immediate imposed curfew on him carrying -- with mandatory checking of both of them at the door.  Forevermore.  His lobbying to keep just one strapped on came to naught.  A colorful character, whoseliver was soon to be even more florid.  

Jay Silverheels, his side kick, was restricted to grunts and short declarative obsequities to preserve the inane myth these First Peoples on the continent were somehow inferior -- because they really had trouble with the King's English unlike the LR himself who couldn't speak -- on a good day--  a word of any of the Southern Athabaskan dialects spoken by members of the Apache nation.  But, then, whatever does that really matter?   I mean the LR would send Tonto into town to get the information and, obediently, Tonto would go into town and get the snot beat out of him by a bunch of ner' do well townies or bad guys and he'd come back to camp all torn up and the LR would ask him "Well, Tonto, did you get the information?"   Not noticing his supposed pal was sporting newly torn up buckskins.     And Tonto would dutifully reply ....  sotto voce, " Uh, me get information."  So, it came as somehow a relief, if not a kind of just desserts feeling, to me, when I learned, years later, that the demise of the fabled masked lawman had come when both he and Tonto were trapped in a box canyon with no way out,  the mouth of which completely blocked by Apaches.  After about a day and a half of being pinned down, hot lead gradually chipping away and wearing down the rocks they were hiding behind, this fabled law and order stud suddenly, blurted out --  entirely out of character --  and now -- for the first time -- in undisguised desperation,"What are we going to do now, Tonto?"  To which, with perfect diction, his Indian sidekick replied with by far the longest sentence he'd apparently ever uttered in English." 

"What you mean "We"  White Man?!"  

Enough

    It's June 16-18, and we are in Bloomington, Indiana, specifically the campus of the University of Indiana, (We stand corrected thanks to Stephen Morelock.  The correct name of that hallowed Hoosier institution of higher learning is  Indiana University (IU locally).    P.S.  for good political reading coming from the left, see Stephen's blog Peripatetic Blogger

 where we are seeing a very different NCAA championship than last year. The 1965 meet couldn't have been closer. USC and Oregon tied at 33. This year BYU matches that total but is outclassed by UCLA's Bruins who rack up 81 points. The 48 point margin is the largest in meet history. Only the absence due to injury of defending mile champ, Bob Day, keeps the trouncing from being worse. Likely things won't get any easier for the rest of the NCAA next year. The Bruins have 74 of those points returning.

    Jim Bush's Bruins are taking no prisoners. They score in 11 of the 15 events, winning four. Ron Copeland takes the highs at 13.6. Tom Jones wins the 220 in 20.9. These two combine with Bob Frey and Ron Jackson to win the 440 relay by half a second in 39.9. Copeland isn't done. He teams with Gene Gail, Don Domansky and Frey to take the mile relay in 3:07.5. With three gold medals in his pocket, Copeland jingles on his way to the team bus.

Neil Steinhauer

Randy Matson

    This is not to say it is all powder blue and gold. There are a couple guys, one very large, the other not so much, who are double winners, Texas A&M's Randy Matson and Gerry Lindgren of Washington State. Matson puts the shot a meet record 67-1½ to top Oregon's Neal Steinhauer by three feet. Then he adds the meet record in the discus with a toss of 197-0 to beat SC's Gary Carlson by nearly ten feet. Pretty good couple days for the big guy.

Gerry Lindgren

    Lindgren has to work a little harder but is equally dominant. He opens with a 28:07.0 six mile win, thirteen seconds up on UCLA's Geoff Pyne, then returns two days later to set a three mile meet record of 13:33.8 leaving John Lawson of Kansas ten seconds in arrears.

Sometimes we really have to stretch it.  This is the only
photo we could find of Geoff Pyne, Kiwi distance runner from
UCLA in 1966 lining up in lane 2 for the Oregon UCLA dual in Eugene.
Bruce Mortenson lane 1, Pyne lane two, Bob Williams lane 3,
George Husaruk lane 4, Kenny Moore lane 5.  Pyne and Husaruk would
finish 1-2 in this 2 mile race.

Charlie Greene

    There are some disappointments, primary among them Tommie Smith's injury in anchoring his San Jose Spartans to a third place finish in the 440 relay. Previously he had placed second to Nebraska's Charlie Greene in the 100, 9.3 to 9.4 after a 9.3 heat. His 24-8½ long jump might be deemed disappointing, but it is good for third. The crowd gets a glimpse of what it was Smith's injury cost them when he blazes a slightly windy 20.2 furlong in the heats before being injured.

Tommie Smith

    With Coach Bush holding Bob Frey out of the 440 to save him for the anchor leg of the mile relay, cross town rival Dwight Middleton of USC has one less bridge to cross. Middleton's strong finish catches early leader Jim Kemp of Kentucky State and holds off Nebraska's Dave Crook, 46.3 to 46.4 with Kemp third at 46.9. Now a question for our seasoned observers. Have you ever seen anyone carry a baton in a 440. Well, of course, in the mile relay. How about in an open 440? Yep, fourth place finisher Riley Dunn of Abilene Christian carries a baton “to keep his shoulders back”. (We just report 'em, we don't 'splain 'em).

    Bob Steele of Michigan State was a 52.5 intermediate hurdler before appearing on the national radar with a 50.7 at the Big Ten meet last month. The beat goes on in this meet. After winning his heat in 52.4, he gets serious in his semifinal, clocking 50.1 to equal Don Styron's age 20 record.

Bob Steele

But a fast semi does not a quick final make. That is not a concern for the young man from Massachusetts. He (Steele)  comes from behind in the straight and runs to a 50.4, winning by five yards.

Dave Patrick

    The mile brings together some pretty good young talent. Richard Romo of Texas is the early leader before Villanova sophomore Dave Patrick takes over at the quarter in 61.1. Then Notre Dame's Ed Dean assumes the heavy lifting, leading the next two laps at 2:02.8 and 3:05.8 but the big boys are just waiting to pounce. Patrick takes the lead at the start of the last lap with Tom Von Ruden of Oklahoma State right with him. Oregon's Wade Bell, the only four minute miler in the field, plays catch me if you can, flashing into the lead on the backstretch. Von Ruden takes up the challenge and the lead at the top of the straight. He doesn't have it long as Patrick goes by and runs to victory in 4:02.1, three tenths up on Von Ruden. Romo, who had been caught in box at the start of the lap, has the best finish, 55.9, to catch Bell for third, 4:02.7 to 4:02.9.

Ricardo Romo

Wade Bell

    A week later and we are on Randall's Island in New York City for the AAU meet. Go to Google Maps and look for Icahn Stadium. You will find a state of the art sky blue all weather track. This isn't the case 50 years ago as the track is described as “as well manicured and in as good shape as it has ever been”, therefore definitely cinder. Temperatures of 92 and 85 with the accompanying humidity don't deter the spectators. The attendance is 8,000 Saturday and 12,000 Sunday.

    The first two finishers in each event qualify for the dual meet with the Russians. There are no records beyond meet records, but the 20,000 faithful are not disappointed. Willie Davenport breaks free from Don Shy on the fourth hurdle and wins the highs by a yard in 13.3, a tenth off the world record and a world best for age 21. Shy doesn't have to hang his head as he clocks 13.4 for the world best for age 20. Earl McCullough is third in 13.7. It appears that even though Hayes Jones and Blaine Lindgren have retired, the US's position in the hurdles is strong.

    Two very different athletes come within a tenth of a second of being double winners. Saturday Tracy Smith, Tom Laris, George Young and Van Nelson are bunched on the final turn of the three mile. Young makes the break, covered immediately by Smith. They hit the tape together in 13:27.4 with Young the winner. The next day Smith breaks away from the field halfway through the six mile and toughs out the extreme heat to win by half a minute over comebacking Billy Mills in 28:02.0. Mills is still not in shape after five months off. After his release from the Marines, Billy has been learning the insurance business. His training began only 12 weeks ago.

Van Nelson

    The schedule has heats, semis and finals run on the one day for both the 100 and 220. The big surprise in Saturday's 100 heats is the 10.2 last place for Mel Pender. It seems that Mel hasn't been training, instead spending his time in the Army's Officers' Candidate School. He is now Lieutenant Mel Pender. Pretty sure we can let him slide this one time.

    In the 100 final Jim Hines is out quickly and has a couple yards on the field at the 70 yard mark. At this point Charlie Greene goes to the afterburners and wins by a foot.

Hines likely would welcome a rematch in the 220 however Greene is not entered. But defending champ Adolph Plummer is. So is NCAA champ Tom Jones and third place finisher in the 100, Harold Busby. Hines runs the curve as if fleeing rabid wolverines. He has five yards on the field (five, is this even possible?) as they enter the straight. But is this a repeat of last year when Adolph Plummer used his quarter mile strength to run him down? Almost. Plummer eats up the deficit, well most of the deficit, as they hit the tape in 20.5 with Hines hanging on for the win.

    A measure of Plummer's incredible talent is his statement, “I've only trained two days in the last month.” (two days, really?) “The only reason I'm here is that my way was paid as I'm the defending champion.”

I'm sure Pete Brown is shaking his head, grinning , and thinking "That's Adolph".  What a natural talent.  GB

    The event the crowd has come to see is the mile. They hope that this will be the first four minute mile in New York history. Could be. We have Dyrol Burleson, Jim Ryun, Jim Grelle, Neil Duggan, John Camien and Richard Romo.Burleson takes Saturday's first heat in 4:07.0. Ryan finishes in 25.5 to win the second heat in 4:06.4. The stage is set.

    The obvious problem in Sunday's final is that there is no pace setter. Romo leads through a 63.8 opening quarter. Ryun moves even with Romo at the half, in 2:05.8. New Yorkers are known for making their needs known. They want a four minute mile. The booing starts. It doesn't last long as Ryun has the lead at the 1320 in 3:06.0 and things are about to get serious.

    Ryun pulls Grelle and Burleson with him as they separate from the field. To the detriment of the two former Oregon runners, Ryun is not done separating. Suddenly he has ten yards and there is no doubt as to the outcome, just the time. To the great delight of the crowd, the Kansas freshman doesn't take his foot off the pedal. His 52.6 last lap puts a 3:58.6 in the books. Only Dan Waern (51.9 in a 3:58.9 in 1961) has closed a mile faster. Burleson is 4:00.0, Grelle 4:00.6.

    The mantle has definitely been passed. This is Ryun's first win over Burleson in six tries. Burleson is quoted as saying, “He is already better than Peter Snell and probably will be better than Herb Elliot”.

    Quarter milers better be wearing their big boy pants because after heats and semis are run on Saturday, they have to return Sunday with hop in their steps and hope in their hearts.

    Theron Lewis, fresh off his 45.2 NAIA win, takes the first semi in 46.3 followed by Bob Frey and Jim Kemp, both 46.6, and Rupert Hoilett 47.5. Lee Evans isn't impressed. Finals be damned, watch this. His 45.8 equals the meet record, sets new JC and frosh records and puts a smile on his mom's face. Qualifying behind Evans are Dave Crook 45.9, Vince Matthews and Ollan Cassell both 46.2, just edging Ron Freeman whose 46.2 PR, good enough to have won the first semi, is only worth a seat in the stands the next day.

    Sunday's final sees Lewis take the lead halfway down the backstretch. Evans gains on the curve but when they straighten out for the run to home, it is still Lewis up by three yards and looking strong. Suddenly, less than 40 yards from the finish, the bear jumps on his back and his form falls apart. That is all Evans needs. He goes by ten yards from the tape to win in 45.9. Such is Lewis' crisis that he loses three tenths in those final yards, barely holding off the charging Frey by an inch in 46.2.

    Remember Randy Matson's three foot shot put victory over Neil Steinhauer in last week's NCAA? This time the margin is slightly less, an inch and three quarters, 64-2¼ to 64-0½. The discus proves the importance of experience. Matson throws 190-9 but there are a couple old guys named Oerter and Babka who are not willing to cede the event to a kid. Big Al tops young Randy by three feet and even bigger Rink edges the kid by five inches.

    Former Colorado star Jim Miller, now representing the Southern California Striders, is out fast in the 440 intermediates.

Jim Miller  leading over hurdle.  Photo from Big 8 Meet 1965

He has five yards on the field in the backstretch but all good things must come to an end.....or must they? Geoff Vanderstock, Bob Steele and Ron Whitney eat up the margin, almost. Miller hangs on to win in 50.1 followed by Vanderstock 50.2, Steele 50.3 and Whitney 50.4.

    The wind hinders the long jumpers but the cream comes to the top as world record holder Ralph Boston, tied by Charlie Mays at 26-3¼, wins on a second best jump of 26-2.

    The pole vault is also adversely affected by the wind. Bob Seagren, Paul Wilson and John Pennel are all down to their last attempt at 17-0. Seagren clears. The others don't. Wilson is second on misses, therefore making the team against Russia.

Paul Wilson

    Some drama plays out in the triple jump trials. American record holder, Art Walker, fouls on his first two attempts. With every eye on him, he comes through with a 50-9¼ to earn life in the finals. From this point on it is the Art Walker show as he hits 53-0 then sets the meet record of 53-8. Darryl Horn, a disappointed third in the long jump, makes the US team with a second place 50-11¾.

   

Ed Burke

 Ed Burke uses technology to depose Hal Connolly as US hammer throw champion. With one throw left, he trails Connolly 219-0 to 216-0. Coach Chuck Coker comes to Burke's aid, showing him “instant playback” sequence photos from his Polaroid camera. The “Oh, that is what I was doing wrong” moment is followed by a throw of 220-0. Connolly ends the competition with a throw 15 inches shorter and Burke has won his first national championship.

    Heats in the 880 are brutal. Four heats, two qualify. Tom Farrell runs a PR, 1:47.7 to win the first heat a step ahead of Ted Nelson. George Hunt, John Perry, Tom Von Ruden, Peter Scott, Dave Patrick and George Germann make up the rest of the field. Dave Perry, Charlie Christmas, Frank Tomeo and Wade Bell are among the notables not invited back Sunday for the final.

    Sunday George Hunt takes the field out quickly then eases up so that the eight are tightly bunched at the 440, reached in 52.8. Down the backstretch, Nelson, running last, surprises by quickly going into second, a move that traps Farrell in a box. Fortunately for the local boy from St. John's , Von Ruden drops away giving Farrell an opening to move halfway around the final curve. Suddenly he has four yards and the race is over. Now it is the spot on the team vs. the Russians that is up for grabs but not for long. Nelson pulls away for second, leaving Patrick well back in third. Farrell 1:47.7, Nelson 1:48.0, Patrick 1:48.8.

    As satisfying as this victory had to be in Farrell's memory, it isn't the high point of this summer (or at least better not be if he knows what's good for him) as a week later he marries his girlfriend since he was 14, Chris Janowski. To save you the chore of checking, we just did. The happy couple are still together, living in Southern California.

    Trick question. Think you know track history? Pretty good with stats are you? We respectfully suggest you will not know the answer to this. Normally we don't cover women's track, but this time we will make an exception. Got your thinking cap on? Here goes. What was the world record set at the AAU women's championships in Fredrick, Maryland July 2, 1966? The answer is later in this text.

    Most records set in the US are in predictable places like Los Angeles, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Eugene and New York. Let's add Salina, Kansas to the list. Salina, Kansas? Really? Yes, because this jewel of middle America is the site for the AAU decathlon championship on July 2-3.

Bill Toomey

Russ Hodge

    Training partners Bill Toomey and Russ Hodge must overcome the humid 95 degree weather and they do. Only once before the conclusion are the two separated by over 100 points. When the dust clears both have broken C.K. Yang's world record of 8089 and Rafer Johnson's American record of 8063. Toomey is the new record holder with 8234 points. Hodge is number two all time at 8130. These totals are improvements of 470 points for Toomey and 390 for Hodge.

Individual marks:

Toomey: 10.3 / 25-6 /    45-8¾ / 6-4 7/8 / 47.3 /  14.8 / 147-5½ / 13-0 /      198-11 /  4:30.0

Hodge:   10.3 / 25-2¾ / 54-7¼ / 6-0½ /    49.3 /   15.2 / 147-6½ / 13-11¼ / 197-7½ / 4:43.4

Hodge and Toomey going head to head.  Photo taken from
the Spanish journal  Atletismo Espanol no. 145 May, 1967
no attribution to photographer. Thanks to gift of mags from
John Cobley.

    Obviously this is a friendly rivalry. This fall these guys are going to live together in Santa Barbara where Toomey will teach junior high and Hodge, a four year Army vet, will attend Santa Barbara City College.

    The other world record breaking performance of early July occurs in Stockholm, Sweden on July 5 where the crowd gets a two for one bargain. Ron Clarke lost his 5000 record to Kipchoge Keino's 13:24.2 last summer. This is the day he plans to get it back. Germany's Bodo Tummler is the pace setter for the first six laps

Bodo Tummler 47 in another hot race with
Norpoth 22, Olloson 90 and Anders Garderud 64

before Clarke is left on his own. The lap times required to reach Clarke's 13:22 goal don't matter because he doesn't hear a one. Doesn't matter. He passes three miles in 12:50.4 to take two seconds off the standard he already holds and finishes strongly for a surprising 13:16.6. He has now broken the world records for the three mile and the 5000 meters four times each.

    The rest of the great Aussie's July appears full. He will take a shot at his WR in the 10,000 in Oslo on the 12^th, then will run another 5000 in Vienna two days later. On the 25^th he will fly to Kingston, Jamaica for the British Empire Games where he will entertain himself by running the 3 mile, 6 mile and marathon. Nothing like keeping busy.

    And now the answer you all have been waiting for. The world record set at the women's AAU nationals is.....Bob Seagren's 17-5½ pole vault. No explanation is given. We will assume this was an exhibition event, not a Bruce Jenner precursor. He had the bar set at 17-6, but hit it with his elbow, rotating it so that when it was remeasured he had lost a half inch.

    Interesting words from Chuck Baker, Lee Evans' coach at San Jose City College. He says Lee would like to return to SJCC, “but both of us realize that it would be better for him financially if he can get some help from a four year college. He has applied to San Jose State but hasn't been accepted yet.” That noise in the background is the sound of frantic paperwork in the San Jose State admissions office.

    A quick run through of the ads in this issue of T&FN provides memories which may bring a tear to your eye. We have Elmer's Weights, Nutrament Liquid Energy Food, Rose Bowl Invitational (tickets $3.50), Tiger TG-4 Marathon Shoe “These shoes have run a marathon in 2 hours and 12 minutes” - note: our bevy of interns searched for whose feet might have been in those shoes. The conclusion was Morio Shigematsu who ran exactly that time for the WR. The only other to run in the 2:12s is Abebe Bikila and we are pretty sure no shoe company is claiming that record. Of course the last page is devoted to Adidas with a large photo of the Tokyo 64 and the list of stores where you can buy a pair - Carlsen Import Shoe Co in New York City, Van Dervoort's Hardware in Lansing, MI, Adidas Sporting Goods, Inc in Toronto and of course, the old standby, Cliff Severn Sporting Goods in North Hollywood.