Today the track and field world is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Lee Evans. He was in Nigeria coaching young athletes and apparently suffered a stroke. My friend Bill Schnier wrote these words as well as anyone remembering Lee Evans.
Lee Evans was a model for so many. His 43.86 was an amazing WR which stood for a long time. He was part of the San Jose State "Speed City" group coached by Bud Winter. His workouts were legendary, causing a few Americans to decide that in many instances sprinters were made as well as born. He ran 4:08 for the mile, giving a glimpse into his range of abilities and the immensity of his training. In the controversial Mexico City Olympics he did not demonstrate to the extent of his college teammates Carlos and Smith which would have seen him immediately dismissed, but instead chose to wear a black beret as his form of solidarity.
I had the good fortune of seeing him win the NCAA 400 at Knoxville in 1969, one of the finest NCAAs ever. John Carlos and Tommie Smith ran there as well along with Dick Fosbury, Jim Ryun, Marty Liquori, John Van Reenan, Bob Seagren, and so many others.
Lee Evans lived a life of service, giving back to the T&F community in so many ways including so many of his later years coaching in Nigeria. When I close my eyes and think of Lee Evans, I not only smile but honor the life of this remarkable man.
Bill
Following link is the obituary from the San Jose Mercury News.
Gentlemen:
I had the honor of seeing Lee Evans 1968 season, watching him and teammates Tommie Smith and John Carlos all the way thru Mexico City.
Mexico City was “magical”
He was by far the toughest competitor I had the pleasure to watch! (As the Tiger Shoe Rep for the 1868 season
For Blue Ribbon Sports ( later to become Nike) I had the chance to rub elbows with our Olympians in ‘68.
My success with Tiger shoes in ‘68 was almost exclusively with distance men,
Especially with the steeplechasers who loved the nylon uppered spikes!
John Bork
George---I had the privilege of seeing Lee Evans run many races at Natl track meets. He was a great runner along with John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Mike Gregory
Sorry to read of the passing of Lee Evans. I actually saw him run once when he came to Vancouver in the early 70s ( I believe ) to run in a indoor race. It is the only indoor meet I have ever attended and he was the star of the show. They put on a 300m specially for him to attempt the WR. He duly broke it but unfortunately it was not ratified as the track was mismeasured. I was very impressed by his powerful running. Geoff Williams, Victoria, BC
No comments:
Post a Comment