V 12 N. 91 And Still More Long Beach Archives Featuring Bob Soth

 

Darryl Taylor has provided some more photos from his private collection.  Here's how he accounts for having those pictures.

George-here is what I remember. When I came to LBSC (Long Beach City College) in the 1961-62 school year the current school records were fair but nothing . exceptional.  There was a LB Press-Telegram sports writer who covered LBSC T&F and after a couple of track meets he sensed that some very big changes were on the horizon. Don't ask me why but he picked me as a target for the Sunday edition of the sports page and I would wake up Sunday to find my photo in the paper. I must have gathered five or six photos from the paper that year.  When I graduated in 1964 I went to his office in downtown Long Beach and asked if there was any way I could get a negative or 8x10 of the photos he had from those articles. He asked if I would care to have some others he had in his files and of course I jumped at the offer. I cannot tell you which ones were in that first bunch or which ones I obtained from the LBSC Forty-Niner school paper. These are a mixture of those two sources and just grabbing old programs and asking for copies here and there. The photos of Ullis Williams and Lindgren I got from Tom Jennings at some point in the past. Always looking to save things that were being tossed. I worked in the equipment cage for a while and one day when emptying the trash I found a set of brand new Wilson spikes that Rose had tossed that dated back to the opening of the school circa 1949. No telling the origin of any particular image but that pretty much covers it.

I am always interested in the past! Explains why my wife took me to a surprise visit to the Orange County Center for the Performing Arts last night to see JOHNNY MATHIS perform old songs and Christmas carols at the age of 87. He pulled it off if I must say.  More historical stuff coming your way as the new year gets underway.

Darryl,

You probably have all the photos that got nixed by the photo editor at the paper.  There must be incredible numbers of great pictures in old newspaper archives.  One of those resources I've used in the past is the Wright State University Library in Dayton, OH.  The old newspapers donated their files to the library.  They have several people working at that collection who are very helpful at digging out old pictures and stories.  To our readers, some of you may have a detective nature and be willing to go that route to find track history in your local libraries.   George

Here are a  few more photos for that special 5K Rose put together in an effort to get Bob Soth on the Olympic team. He had already finished 3rd in the trials but needed to meet the Oly standard:  Darryl

                                                                 The Meet Program

George Young pacing Bob Soth in attempt to qualify for 5000 for 1960 Olympics

Jack Rose on sideline

He makes it.  13:38.8  3 Miles

This is the man who was widely featured collapsing in the heat in the 10,000 in the Russian 

dual meet in Philadelphia in 1959.

He made it.

Mrs. Soth, "We're going to Rome"

Long Beach State Staff 1961

Bob Soth, Chuck Polizzi, Coach Jack Rose, 

T&FN Don Potts, Ty Hadley

Beach Run Trophies,  Bob Soth, Bill Tilney, Beach Run Queen Lee Miller

Recent Article on Bob  link:     BOB SOTH

                                                 The Near Tragedy in 1959

Grace Butcher Wrote About The Russian 10,000

I was there, trackside, being one of the two US women in the 800---a pitiful ten seconds behind in our race, novices compared to the experienced Soviet women.  Soth's grotesque struggle to keep going in the heat and humidity was horrifying; they should have taken him off the track long before they did---he'd already fallen several times and was leaning over backwards as he staggered along.  And the second Russian collapsing backwards into the arms of his teammate who'd left the infield and come up behind him at the finish line. And Truex being sent another almost impossible lap when he'd made what he thought was his finishing move. 

We were all left shaken by it. None of us had ever seen anything like it. Tears in my eyes just remembering it. Thank God they were all OK later. Grace

Tom Pagani-I was the anonymous poster regarding the Philly fans and their comments in the 1959 dual meet between the USA and USSR. 

I had checked the box with my email address and assumed my name would appear. No need to be anonymous. It was not one of the best moments for US track fans. 

Grace Butcher's recollection:

No, I don't remember negative crowd reaction to the Russians in the 10k. May have been, but the focus on Soth and his struggle is my only image. I don't remember a lot of details about the whole thing tho have a number of photos, of course. Just being on the team was wonderful; running injured was awful. I was there alone (story of my life!), my coach came only for the meet; my parents kept my boys who were 5 & 7, brought them for the meet, drove back home together, I proudly wearing the simple wool skirt and jacket with the USA emblem on a steaming hot July day. G

V 12 N. 90 More Archival Photos

 More photos from various sources,  the first three courtesy of Chuck Frawley former U. of Texas runner

Pat Clohessy winning 2 miles at Drake

George,

I wanted to say a little more about Pat Clohessy.  Not only was he NCAA X-C champion several times, but also NCAA champion on the Track I think in the 10K on the track.  He returned to Australia to become the National Distance Coach and received may national awards.  One of his students was Rod de Castillo BAA winner in 1986 from AUS.  Pat followed the teaching of Authur Lydiard, Peter Snell’s coach.  Currently Pat is in failing health, and lives in Chappel Hill Queensland.    Chuck Frawley

Peter Snell

Eddie Southern

                 Louis Zamperini checking flak damage on his bomber

C.K. Yang, Rafer Johnson, Valeriy Kuznetsov

Rome 1960

Wilson Kiprigut, Kenya's first Olympic medalist 1968

William Penn HS team working out on their home track, Philadelphia, PA

During a thirty year period over 40 young women from this school went to college on track scholarships

Boston 2022 about 6 miles into it by Ned Price

Alan Webb, NCAA regionals Terre Haute, IN about 2001

Ricardo Romo setting pace for Jim Ryun at Berkeley

Post Race

Grelle  (??) Romo

Billy Cannon, Heisman winner LSU

1959 Billy Cannon winning LSU Relays over Dave Styron NE Lou. and Dee Givens Oklahoma

Victor Sanyev, Soviet Union

Glenn Cunningham at Lawrence , Kansas

Gayle Sayers

How many of you saw this movie?

Grace Butcher,  Istvan Rozavolgyi

Alain Mimoun between Chiclet and Duleau behind and inside.

Correction from Jose Sant

 in front of Mimoun is Abdelslam Rahdi , second in Rome behind Abebe Bikkila in marathon

Boston '78 early stages

Frank Shorter, Boston 78 on Heartbreak Hill

Ira Murchison winning at White City London

The pic of Murch the best. Lived but 61 yrs.  His gluts came straight out of his lower back like a shelf.  He pushed so much air out of the way hurtling down the track you could feel the “wind” 3-4 lanes over.   A phenom.   Transferred from Iowa to Western.  And rumor has it it was because Geo Dales made a way for him, nurtured him. And, in a sense, protected him.  I seem to recall reading Murch had no real father.  I am imagining we are seeing in that picture not the pain of effort at the tape but an exultation … a celebration of the immense God given talent he possessed.   Indoors, watching him with his start was like watching a bullet shot from a gun.  A true phenom equaling the 100 yd WR and setting WRs in both the 60 yd and 69 m dashes alongside his Olympic gold medal in 1956 popping off the 4 x 100.   Richard Mach

Larry Questad, Tommie Smith, John Carlos at Echo Summit 1968

George,

Thanks for this batch of memory ticklers.

Gerry Ashworth and I were ‘63 classmates at Dartmouth.  

Warmest wishes for the Holidays,

Roy Benson

PS, 

Spent time at the NCAA cross country championships in Stillwater in November. Was visiting my old buddy Jerry Crockett who spent his idle time, when he wasn’t teaching ecology, as a volunteer coach with the distance runners from early ‘70s til just last year.  I was lucky to spend lots quality time with that gang of middle distance runners who loved chasing 2 mile relay records.  

Great guys who nothing but good things to say about you guys from OU.

Harrison Dillard, how bout that two handed lead on second runner?

George Young

Tough sledding in a master's race in London 1920's

Alf Schrubb, top British Marathoner at turn of century

Arnie Robinson

Some of US team celebrating in Berlin 1936

Front L-R  Marty Glickman, Cornelius Johnson, Jesse Owens, Glen Hardin

Back L-R  Gene Venske, Albert Mangin, Foy Draper, Forrest Towns

Thane Baker to Bobby Morrow, Melbourne 1956

Robbie Brightwell, Ann Packer, John Cooper Tokyo 1964

British Empire Games 1938 

pre steroid era

Dick Burkele and Filbert Bayi

Card Shark Bob Schul teaching Ron Clarke, Billy Mills,

Peter Snell, and Michel Jazy to play blackjack 1964 Tokyo

Have you ever seen so much talent at one table going to waste?

Carl Lewis

Johnny Hayes and Tom Longboat

London 1908

 

                                                 Jack Davis and Harrison Dillard

Valeriy Borzov, Soviet Union Munich 1972