V 10 N33 A Track Story Coming In Via The Back Door

In this business we come about information  and stories through indirect channels.  In this case a string of conversations got forwarded to me from Bruce Kritzler in Florida.  Bruce a long time friend,  runner/pole vaulter, punk rocker,  and coach at several institutions purporting to be of higher learning sent me this picture of Barry Brown, Dave Wottle, and Dick Buerkle.  The conversants were unsure of the day and place of that race, but it sparked an exchange of information as is oft the case when old track guys get together.  We learn new bits of trivia which need to be recorded before they are forgotten.

For Example:   Each year there is a memorial run held off the grid by Barry Brown's friends from the old days.  I usually see mention of it in Bruce's correspondence.

The first note that came across my desk from this 'gathering' , included a book review from Geoff Pietsch.  Geoff's input centered around the middle distance running community in New York State in the 1970s.  It refers to Russ Ebbetts, editor of Track Coach, formerly Track Technique and a book, "Supernova"  that Russ wrote about his first year in the Villanova running program.  Here is Geoff's review.
June 10, 2003

This book is a collection of fictionalized stories based on Ebbets's freshman year as a runner at Villanova University. Villanova was among the elite of U.S. college track. It was coached by Jumbo Jim Elliot and it was especially noted for its great Irish distance runners including 1956 Olympic 1500 champ Ron Delaney and Eamon Coughlan, the only man to break 3:50 indoors and also the only 40+ runner to break 4:00.
Ebbets's stories are wonderful. They will ring true to anyone who has experienced, or is even tangentially familiar with, the life of serious competitive collegiate distance runners. His tales are fascinating, funny, and moving - and inspirational. "Supernova" deserves to be ranked with the cult classic "Once a Runner" as the best depictions of the training and travails, the life, of elite endurance runners.

Russ got into the conversation regarding the picture and like any good trackster, he has added more information about things forgotten.

Wottle Buerkle Brown.
Caption above is a little off in its description as this is probably mid race,  perhaps the caption reflects the ultimate finish result.  Imagine today three guys of this caliber in world rankings running against each other in a small venue meet in Rochester, NY.  No money on the line, no TV, no agents, only a contest between individuals with their resumes on the line.  Where could this happen today?  Actually nowhere because of social distancing, but Covid 19 aside, this could not happen anymore.  

Russ' reply to Geoff,

Geoff - 

A little history in this picture. I was not there but if it was 1973 I remember seeing the clipping in the Albany Times Union. There were so few races back then that any mention of track and field was eagerly devoured. In '73 I would have ended my freshman year at Villanova. I came home and Frank Meyers had the Adirondack AAU meet at Colonie High. I ran and won the 880y in a then lifetime PR of 157.1 and got the headline the next day over some guy named Harry Marra (Ashton Eaton's future coach) who won the 220. It was my first race of the year and I think the only one I ran that summer. Track in the old days. 

When I ran for the NYAC and the family moved from LI to Saratoga for good I had contacted Jim Rafferty at the NYAC and asked him about races. He put me in contact with Barry Brown who subsequently wrote me a letter detailing what few options there were in the Capitol District.  I have searched high and low for that letter but it seems to be long gone. This may provide some back story to the ARG story "A Wrinkle in Time" regarding Bill Schrader and Frank Meyer's efforts in developing track and field in the area.

I ran against Barry several times in some of the Colonie meets over the years. In the mile, it was never close. He'd cruise through the mile in 414 range while I struggled back in the low 420's. One time I had him the 800, great tactical race with Dennis Contois (a Union 1:53er) with 120 to go I had them both but Barry came storming back and nipped me in the last 20m. Billy Robinson had a little more luck and Miles was in the 3000m at the Christmas Rush from the Wrinkle story. Joe Curtin eventually broke Barry's Colonie Summer Meet record in the 2 mile.

Dick Buerkle was the reason I finally decided on Villanova. He was a walk-on (Ed. perhaps the greatest walk on ever) that had a great college career (5k/10k IC4A Champion beating Ron Stonitsch of CW Post) and went on to set the world record in the indoor mile at 3:55. I figured I'd roll the dice and if he did it maybe I could too. I've never met him but know that he taught at McQuaid HS in Rochester for a while and that would explain his Rochester Track Club jersey. He grew up on the Southern Tier of NYS (Elmira? Corning?) one of the smaller towns down there but this meet would have been one of the old Niagara Association's meets that pre-dated TAC, the Empire State Games and USATF.

And then there is Bobby Knight's most famous track athlete. Yes, I am talking about Indiana's chair-throwing basketball coach who started his coaching career somewhere in Ohio and a kid showed up for junior high track practice named Dave Wottle. Not sure if he was wearing a hat. That must have been some race.

Best - Russ

And then a correction from Russ:

I have a correction...I have it on good authority (email from Dave Wottle) that Bobby Knight did not coach him during his running career (see note below from George Brose)...I have also included the link from Let's Run where I get all my news...stay well...R  (see Letsrun link below).

From Dave Wottle...To: George Brose <irathermediate@gmail.com

Hey George. I appreciate the email. I was talking to Sid (Sink) just the other day to catch up. He’s doing fine by the way. That story about Bobby Knight being my middle school coach is a fabrication. He never was and in fact I didn’t even run in middle school. That story started about 20 years ago on the Internet and is obviously still hanging around. Glad I could clarify for you. Take care.

Editor's note:  Here is why the mythology had to be questioned.  I grew up in Ohio but had left the state and track by the wayside in the late sixties and early 70's, but I did not recall Dave Wottle coming out of Cuyhoga Falls, Ohio , where according to his resume, Bob Knight had coached one year before going to West Point to coach the Cadets.  Several conversations went back and forth between myself, Geoff Pietsch, and Russ Ebbets  before we put the myth of the Knight/Wottle relationship to rest.  Eventually I contacted Sid Sink,  Dave's teammate at Bowling Green.  Sid provided me a contact and Dave Wottle graciously put the story where it belonged.  These things happen all the time.  This blog is as guilty as any with providing unsubstantiated stories and myth perpetuation.  The great part of it however is that often the parties in those stories contact us to tell us how things really went down.  Napoleon Bonaparte once said that "History is a series of lies agreed upon."    So far, no one has sued us for defamation.  Apparently the first mention of this myth came on a thread or unattributed article on Letsrun.    This little bit of sleuthing has given me something to do in this age of lockdown and social distancing other than take pride in how much grass growing in the cracks of my sidewalk has now been removed.

Here is the link on Letsrun where the myth  appears.  Note there is no attribution to the name of the writer or the writer's source.  We are in no way saying you should cancel your subscription to Letsrun.  They are a tremendous source of information on our sport.  The world is full of inaccuracies as we all know if we watch the news.

https://www.letsrun.com/2008/bob-knight-usatf-0331.php

The link also notes that Barry Switzer was a big time track fan which I can corroborate.  About ten years ago, before I started this blog,  I was at the Big Twelve conference meet in Norman, OK, and Switzer, already retired from a successful college and NFL coaching career, spent most of that Saturday at the meet.  

 Dick Buerkle, according to Wikipedia,  eventually moved to the Atlanta area and taught Spanish, and was a successful track and cross country coach retiring in 2014.

Below is an Amazon ad for another of Russ Ebbets' books,  "A Runner's Guide" .