V 10 N. 43 Bobby Morrow R.I.P.

May 31, 2020

Bobby Joe Morrow, the San Benito, Texas and Abilene Christian College legend who led the American sprinters to incredible success at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics,  passed away yesterday of natural causes at the age of 84.  He was a triple gold medal winner in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and anchored the 4x100 meters relay.  He was a quiet personality who  merited the praise and adulation that he received after his brilliant Olympics.  He also learned that fame is fast fleeting when in 1960 he was expecting to be the fifth man among the American sprinters, a stable influence, who would lend his experience to and inexperienced crew.  He was told to report to the L.A. airport to accompany the American team to Rome, and when he showed up there with his bags packed, he was told at the airport that he was being left behind, while dozens of 'officials' who would be doing little more than attending banquets in Rome were more important than he was.  It left a bad taste in his mouth that he would carry the rest of his life.  The sprint crew at Rome would perform poorly.  Some even say they partied themselves out of medals after arriving in Europe, attending a few meets on their was to Rome, and carousing on a train taking them on the final leg of the journey.   Dave Sime (Duke University)  and Les Carney (Ohio University)  would retain some of the honor with their silver medals in the 100 meters and 200 meters.  Armin Hary, the German 'thief of starts' took the 100 home, and Livio Berutti, the hometown favorite prevailed in the 200.   The U.S.  relay won the 4x100 but were DQ'd for passing out of the zone.

Taking the hand off from Thane Baker
note the screwed hand off of the Germans

William Martin in his story  'The Nicest Christian Boy in the World' published in Texas Quarterly, in 1984 describes in Bobby's own words that shunning by the Olympic officials in 1960.

“I really got screwed on that deal. After the trials, when I came in fourth in the two hundred, they talked me into going out and training with the Olympic team. They said if I’d train with them and show improvement, they’d take me to the games. So I left my job in Abilene and stayed in California for about six weeks. My leg was healing, and I was beating the ones who had made the team, so the coaches and officials had a meeting; they were supposed to leave for the Olympics the next morning. I called and they said, ‘We haven’t made a decision yet. Come to the plane in the morning and we’ll tell you then.’ So I got out to the airport, and they said, ‘Nope, you’re not going.’ Later, I found out it was the eastern coaches who didn’t want me to go, because of the athletes from the eastern schools. As it wound up, they really screwed up the Olympics. Ray Norton came in last in the hundred. Same way in the two hundred, and they were disqualified in the four-hundred-meter relay.”

Fastest Nice Christian Boy in the World by William Martin

Martin who claims to be a close friend of Morrow, gives a very revealing insight into Bobby Morrow's life and character in this article.

The following segment of The Fastest Men on Earth  covers Bobby Morrow's career and is well worth watching.  Reading the article and watching the film you will see some contrasting interpretations of Morrow's being left at the L.A. airport.   Bobby blames some 'eastern coaches', but the film blames Avery Brundage because of a speech Morrow gave after Melbourne that there were too many officials on the trip to Aussieland.  Brundage got back at him in 1960.  Who knows the real story?  That 's the blurred line between fact, fiction, and imagination.

Bobby Morrow from The Fastest Men on Earth

Thanks to Walt Murphy for finding these two links.


I'm adding a number of rarely seen photos of Bobby Morrow that I acquired a few years ago from the Dayton Daily News  archives held at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Bobby with his twins

In the Lab

Enjoyed the article on Bobby Morrow. I hate that he was treated that way. He was one of my heros as a young high school sprinter.   Frank Deramus
FYI  Frank was a 9.5 sprinter at Oklahoma in the mid 60s.

Vol. 4 No. 1 Bill Woodhouse, Abiliene Christian University R.I.P.

One of the great sprinters of the mid twentieth century Bill Woodhouse passed away yesterday, January 11, 2014.   Bill was the eighth man to run 9.3 seconds for 100 yards.  He was on many of the Abiliene Christian relay teams anchored by Bobby Morrow.  Not a likely looking sprinter, nevertheless he was a keystone on those great ACC teams.

Below are some tributes from the ACC Alumni journal and a citation from the Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame.

 ACU Remembers: Bill Woodhouse

Posted By Ron Hadfield ON January 11, 2014 |                

Bobby Morrow (’58) has deservedly received accolades too numerous to count for his performances on the track at Abilene Christian University in the 1950s. But he ran with other talented Wildcats on the multiple world record relay teams that made headlines. One of them was Bill Woodhouse (’59), who died yesterday at age 77 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
At 5-8 and 155 pounds, Woodhouse was an atypical physical specimen, as his head coach, Oliver Jackson (’42) described in 1959 in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram story:

“If I was going to shoot a sprinter, Bill Woodhouse would be the last man in the crowd I’d aim at. He looks like a running guard on a Class B single-wing team – short and squatty – and anything but the way you would picture a sprinter. As a matter of fact, I took him sight unseen upon the recommendation of Drake (University) track coach Tommy Deckard, and when he got off that train I said to myself that if he ever ran as fast as 10.2 I’d be surprised.”

But surprise he did, becoming the eighth sprinter to run 9.3 in the 100-yard dash and tie a world record – joining others from Oregon, Southern California, Northwestern, California, Duke, San Jose State and ACU (Morrow) – when he recorded that time at a meet in Abilene on May 5, 1959.

Bobby Morrow (’58), Bill Woodhouse (’59), James Segrest (’59) and Waymond Griggs (’58) were a world-record-setting relay team at Abilene Christian.

He ran a wind-aided 9.1 in the 100 (the third person ever to do that) during a quadrangular meet April 18, 1959, in Abilene between ACU, North Texas, Texas Tech and Arizona State, the same day he became the second runner to ever run below 20 seconds (19.9) in the 200-yard-dash.
Woodhouse was a member of the ACU Sports Hall of Fame, Drake Relays Hall of Fame and Penn Relays Wall of Fame. The latter honor came in 2004, when he was inducted with 10-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis, four-time Olympians Joetta Clark and 1941 Sullivan Award (honoring the top U.S. amateur athlete) winner Les MacMitchell. He won four Penn Relays titles as a Wildcat.
. A memorial service for him is planned for Jan. 14 at Seaside Funeral Home (4357 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412, 361-992-9411).

From the Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame

William "Bill" Woodhouse Bill is a 1955 Graduate of Mason City High School. “Heed the advice of your parents, teachers and coaches!” Former Mohawk and Abilene Christian University sprinter Bill Woodhouse was inducted into the Penn Relays Hall of Fame during the 110 running of the Penn Relay Carnival at the University of Pennsylvanial. The Outstanding Collegiate performer of 1959, Woodhouse set a Carnival record of 9.5 in the 100 yard dash and anchored Carnival-record teams in the 440- and 880-yard relays. Woodhouse won four Penn Relays championships during his ACU career, running the third leg on the 1958 440-yard relay championship team, and then anchoring the winning 880-yard relay team in 1958 and the 440-yard and 880-yard relay teams in 1959. Woodhouse twice tied the world record in the 100-yard dash (9.3 seconds) in 1957 and 1959 during his career at Abilene Christian. He also ran on Wildcat relay teams which set world records in the 440-yard and 880-yard relay events. Woodhouse ranked fourth in the 220-yarrd dash and 10th in the 100-yard dash in the world in 1958. That season he finished fourth in both the 100 and 220 at the NCAA Division I National Meet. He also finished fifth in the 100 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1960 to become an alternate member of the U.S. Olympic Team, and he ran on the gold-medal-winning 400-meter relay team for the U.S. at the 1959 Pan American Games. Woodhouse is also a member of the Drake Relays Hall of Fame, and in 1991 he was inducted into the Abilene Christian University Sports Hall of Fame. Bill wants all to, “help those who are less fortunate or in need.” Bill Woodhouse believes his faith and relationship with God has been the key to his mental confidence and peace in the environment of competition in his track career and in the business world. Bill is in Corpus Christi, Texas and has been an insurance agent for State Farm. He is a true civil leader and is involved in many projects working with your including coaching. Bill’s honors with State Farm Insurance include the Millionaire’s Club, the Legion of Honor and the Bronze Tablet Award. "He was one of the few world class sprinters who wore glasses."    Phil Scott

Vol. 2 No. 88 Ira Murchison Remembered

Western  Michigan University   Sprinter , Ira Murchison, remembered.

John Bork , NCAA 880 yards champion 1961 for Western Michigan University sent this to me.  It is part of a newsletter that circulates amongst former Western Michigan University friends and former athletes.  George Dales was the coach at Western Michigan in those days. ed.

                                                                       Ira Muchison
                                                                    B. February 6, 1933
                                                                    D. March 28, 1994

Bob Parks forwarded this to me; originally written by George Dales,  and asked me to forward it to those on my e-mail list. 

"Ira Murchison got a gold medal in the 4x100m relay in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne, Australia, and also took 4th in the 100 meters. Ira was a good guy and a very good sprinter, although being very short. He had a lightning start. While I was at EMU he was associated with the U. of Chicago  track and field team and used to accompany them to a number of our meets. "

Murchison defeats Chicago Track Club Runners

Melbourne 100 Final Morrow wins, Murchison extreme right

                                                                       Truex ,  Rozavolgyi, and Murchison

USA 100-METERS SWEEP?

"No nation has swept the Olympic 100-meters medals. At the turn-of-the-20^th-century, at Paris  the USA seemed poised. US champion Arthur Duffey widely led Ivy Leaguers Frank Jarvis and J.W.B. Tewksbury, but tripped and fell in the shadows of trees down the course at the Bois de Boulogne. It was not until Melbourne  Western Michigan's Ira Murchison blasted out of the blocks and dug his way to a long lead flailing gobs of cinders in his wake. On the hastily constructed track, Murchison said his lane, at least, was not rolled. When Bobby Morrow of Abilene Christian surged to the front it was obvious he would ultimately win handily as an immortal can. Then Hec Hogan passed Murchison, and Thane Baker of Kansas State thrashed past the Aussie. The Olympiad was held in November and Murchison had gone to train with Coach George Dales up in Michigan. It snowed and snowed and his training was confined to the 40-yard Oakland Gym floor at Western Michigan. Murchison had defeated Morrow and Baker previously in June at US Trials, equaling World record 10.2, time also obtained at Compton three weeks prior. In August, at the CISM Games in Olympiastadion where Owens had set Olympic record 10.3 Murchison had become the first human to flash 10.1! He did so both in heat and semi-final [4 watches: 10.1] before succumbing in 10.2 [10.1 10.2 10.2] to Willie Williams in that one 10.1 World record performance."

Vol. 1 No. 79 March, 1960

MARCH 1960

A conundrum to test your problem solving skills. To wit: An athlete sets a world record. Two weeks later he still is the record holder only now three competitors have passed him and indeed have left him in the dust. Your homework for tomorrow is to have a logical explanation for how this seemingly incongruous situation has come about. Be prepared for class discussion.
Our protagonist is one Parry O'Brien, the two time Olympic shot put champion, the world record holder in both the indoor and outdoor shot, the man who has dominated the event like no other since Ralph Rose 50 years ago. As we pick up our story it is March 5 and O'Brien's co-holder of the WR, 19 year old Dallas Long, has just bettered the 63-2 record they share by five inches. But it doesn't count because it was his seventh throw of the day. Still, the message has been sent.
March 12 sees O'Brien break his indoor WR (62-1¾) at the Milwaukee Journal Games with a throw of 62-5, leaving his most significant competitor, Dave Davis, nearly two and a half feet behind. On the West Coast, Long throws 61-4 in a dual meet.
The next week the track world is shocked by Bill Nieder. Competing in the Stanford Invitational, Big Bill drops it 63-10 from the toe board. And he isn't alone; Dave Davis has raised his PR to 62-8. Long is in the West Texas Relays where he throws 61-8¾. He and Davis (have shot, will travel) will tangle next week in the USC – So Cal Striders meet.
And what a match up it is. Long explodes 64-6½. This jaw dropping effort is needed because Davis is close behind at 63-10½. Nieder's WR has lasted a week.
At the end of the day the all time list reads:
Long 64-6½
Davis 63-10½
Nieder 63-10
O'Brien 63-2
In two weeks Parry O'Brien has gone from world record holder to a distant fourth. Can the Air Force lieutenant find another gear or will the young guys pull away? He will begin his outdoor season next month. Stay tuned.........Oh, and as for that class assignment, O'Brien is still the world record holder indoors.
Speaking of world records, John Thomas just upped his half an inch, jumping 7-2½ in the Chicago Daily News Relays.
Stanford's Ernie Cunliffe has busied himself racing longer than his usual 880. On March 5 the Stanford Winter Championships sees him split 58-2:00-3:03 en route to a solo 4:04.4 mile. Two weeks later in the Stanford Invitational his 2:55.7 1320 relay leg is the highlight of the track activity. “The Stanford co-captain hit 55.7, 1:56.6 and finished strongly, unlike his usual dying half mile windup, in 2:55.7. Only Brian Hewson (2:55.2) has run faster and the best on record by an American is Jim Grelle's 2:57.7.” No results for the Stanford team are given. Eight days later the then politically correct Indians take a shot at the American record for the four mile relay in a dual meet with the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village (identified as SCVYV from now on). Although their time of 16:57.8 misses by 5.2 seconds, it isn't Ernie's fault. His 4:02.4 anchor is the second fastest mile of the year.
Aside from the aforementioned world records, the most amazing performance of the month is that of San Jose State sophomore, Vance Barnes. Not even on the team three days earlier, Barnes, a basketball player with a high jump best of 6-4, is pressed into service at the Stanford Relays when the Spartans third string jumper is injured. Six feet four inches is achieved easily enough and so are 6-6 and 6-8 on his first efforts. Six feet nine inches doesn't come until his second try as does 6-10. When he finally misses it is at 6-11, a foot over his head. We'll have to see what the future holds for this young man.
On March 12 Bobby Morrow makes his 1960 debut in Southwest Recreation meet in Fort Worth, winning special races in 9.5 and 21.3, but real stars are the Styron twins.

Running in the college division, Dave takes the 100 and 220 while Don wins the highs and lows. They both run on the winnng 440 and mile relay teams. Don also runs a heat in the 440 before being relieved of duty for the final when the team championship is assured. His 22.4 time in the lows is the fastest in the world this year and his seventh race of the day.
A week later Morrow's comeback hits a bump in the road when he is defeated twice by Jimmy Weaver who runs 10.5 and 21.0. No time is given for the Olympic champ. Eddie Southern is third and fourth.
After a low key year, Herb Elliot is preparing for the Olympics. On March 5 he runs 1:50.1 and 4:02.1, but nine days later the best he can do is a 1:53.5 sixth place behind some guy from New Zeland named Snell who runs 1:51.3. Five days later Elliot clocks 1:52.1.
Another Australian is setting records in the US. On March 2 in Houston Al Lawrence runs 10K in 29:36.4 to meet the Olympic qualifying standard and set the American record. Wait a minute, he isn't an American. Apparently citizenship isn't required to set an AR. All that is needed is that you set the record on US soil. The record he broke was 30:11.4 set in 1932 by Poland's Janusz Kusocinski.
As T&F News is located in the Bay Area it is privy to the doings of Cal, Stanford, San Jose State and the SCVYV. This time we have Cal time trials for you. Recently Jerry Siebert and Jack Yerman tangled in a 660 with Yerman winning by inches in 1:18.0 for both. In another workout Siebert ran a 1320 in 3:00.0. Other bits and pieces from columns: Glenn Davis is teaching junior high mechanical drawing in Columbus, Ohio. He is ten pounds overweight, but is working at losing it by the National AAU meet..... A high school junior in Compton, CA has just set the class record 48.0 in the 440. His name is Ulis Williams.....Ron Delany and Don Bowden are training together on the polo field in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Both are recovering from tendon problems and hope to race in April......Ira Murchison has recovered from the illness that saw his weight to drop to under 100 pounds. He is now at his usual 135 and feeling strong.
From the Quotable Quotes column come the following. Glenn Cunningham: “Our races were strictly competitive, to beat the other fellow. But in the workouts sometimes I did run all out. Yes, I bettered four minutes. But I didn't think anything about it. I was just curious to see what I could do,”......J.D. Martin: “Jim Graham, the Oklahoma State vaulter, helped me a lot when I competed against him last year. He's that kind of a guy. At the Drake Relays I was trying 14-6. I'd never cleared it. Graham told me that I wasn't rocking back on my pole at the top of my jump. On my last jump, I rocked and sailed over. Graham knew that if he gave me that tip I might beat him. Of course, I didn't. He was first and I was second.”

J.D. Martin early in his coaching years, about 1968
We'll close with the first non-track related add I can remember. It is for the Desert Star Motor Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Among its many benefits are air conditioning, phones and TV, a heated swim pool, and private sun decks. A little short on folding money? Not to worry, all this can be paid for with a credit card.

Vol. 1 No. 49 January , 1959

JANUARY 1959
Some issues are more interesting than others. This is one of the others. A photo of John Thomas clearing 7-0 graces the front page. Bobby Morrow runs his first indoor meet at the 12th annual Evening Star Games in DC winning the 70, 80 and 100. Not sure how the stadium fit any of those in, but it did. Of interest in this meet is the 600 where Glenn Davis’ indoor debut was a losing one in a slow time. Nick Ellis of Morgan State beat hurdlers Josh Culbreath and Davis in 1:13.8, a time a full two seconds slower that Ed Collymore’s 600s in New York and Boston. The quick answer here is that the meet was run on a “flat floor”. No photos are included so I am not certain what the surface was. I’m guessing dirt.
Lee Calhoun has returned from his one year suspension because he and his new bride accepted gifts on a TV game show. George Grenier, writing in a column entitled, Splinter Talk, tells us that, “One New York newspaper explained Lee Calhoun’s year of absence by stating that he was on a year suspension for having his marriage consummated on television. Darn it, I miss all the good afternoon programs.”
Fearless Harold Clark of South Africa made two attempts at a four minute mile, coming up short on both occasions, but certainly earning respect in the doing. On December 20 in a solo attempt in Kimberley, a city at 5000 feet elevation, he tied Gail Hodgson’s South African record of 4:04.5. Undeterred, six days later he took another shot, this time in the town of Pearl. Nature was not his friend. The temperature was 103 with the track being estimated at 130. Harold proved himself the kind of guy you would want in your foxhole by running 4:04.9.
Page 15 has a photo of the 18 year old Styron twins. Fine looking young men, undoubtedly a credit to their family, church and community. Two pages earlier there is a shot of the finish of the 1941 AAU 100 meters, showing Barney Ewell beating favorite Hal Davis in 10.3. A close third is a young Payton Jordan. I seldom get man crushes, but Payton is a really handsome guy.
Mention is made of American athletes being invited to the Kusocinski Memorial Meet in Poland. Janusz Kusocinski won the 1932 Olympic 10,000 in Los Angeles in 30:11.4, a time that amazingly as of this issue is still the American record (defined as run on US soil). Kusocinski was an underground leader in WWII who was executed by the Gestapo.
Six of the 16 pages are devoted to the world list, a collection of 50-100 names in every event. Herb Elliott has the year’s fastest 800, 1500 and mile. Double leaders are Glenn Davis, 400 and 400IH; Albie Thomas of Australia, 2 and 3 miles and Elias Gilbert, 110HH and 220LH. Fortunately the 200-220, 400-440 and 800-880 are lumped together with conversions. Of note for our purposes is the inclusion of Gail Hodgson, whose 4:04.5 ranks him 31st in the mile and Ernie Cunliffe, listed 45th in the 800 at 1:49.5.
The AAU and NCAA have adopted several IAAF rules, the most significant concerns the sin of pacing. “Pacing a runner as an aid to a record performance will mean the record will not be accepted. Any competitor who, in the opinion of the referee, has been aided by a coach, teammate or anyone else during the competition may be disqualified.”
The high school postal two mile team race is won by Palo Alto High. Their five runners average 10:03 with George Linn leading all competitors with 9:33. The first six teams are all from California which may say as much about weather as talent. The 12th and 13th best times are 10:04.9 by Archie San Romani Jr. and 10:05 by Dixon Farmer.
Page 15 has a story on the upcoming Big 10 and Big 8 indoor seasons. Although Kansas is favored to win its eighth straight championship, special note is made of the chances of the lads from Norman. “Gail Hodgson and Ernst Kleynhans will carry the distance load for Oklahoma. The Sooners will have defending sprint champ Dee Givens back, two 14 footers in Larry Neeley and Jim Clingman, and two shot put men who have bettered 55’ in practice this year in Dan Erwin and newcomer Mike Lindsay.”
The T&FN Olympic tour in Rome is now available for $838 ($6500 in today’s money). Sign up now.

Vol.1 No. 2 March, 1954

George,
The MARCH ’54 issue obviously was late as it contained meet results from April 10.
It was a much more track friendly world in those days. Kansas and Wes Santee beat Cal in a dual meet in front of 13,000 fans at Berkeley. SC and Occidental had a dual meet at Oxy in which there were “card stunts by the students”.
Santee continued to be the center of attention for the Nelson brothers. His marks at Berkeley were 4:05.5, 1:51.5 and 48.0r.
On that same day across the bay the great Bill Russell high jumped 6-7½.
T&FN printed pretty much every result it could including Cal Tech 74, Pasadena Nazarene 43, Chapman 33, Cal Tech Frosh 17. Mercifully, no individual marks were listed.
Two pages were devoted to technique articles on the intermediates and the hammer.
A kid from San Benito, Texas by the name of Morrow, led the country in the HS 100 at 9.6 and was second in the 220 at 21.2. Bill Swisshelm of Santa Ana High in So Cal was right with him, #2 at 9.7, #1 20.8 (straightaway) and #1 in the 180 lows at 19.1. Great HS athlete. Not sure what happened to him in college. Oh, yeah, there was an R. Johnson of Kingsburg HS in CA who also ran 19.1 and 14.4 to tie for both leads. Understand he went on to become pretty good.
High school track was so dominated by California kids that if TFN didn’t list a kid’s state, it was understood he was from California.
Reading this issue was a stroll down memory lane for me. The top HS miler was Ty Hadley of Bellflower High at 4:28.4. Ty was my coach at Long Beach State. Wonderful guy I really admired. A dozen years later when I was the coach at BHS, he was still revered at the school.
Don Molloy of Long Beach City College was the leading Frosh/JC 220 LHer at 23.9. Six years later he was my XC coach at LBCC. Great guy everyone on the team loved. First coach I had that really cared about his kids. I’d run through fire for him right now.
Though he wasn’t my coach, I knew Bob Seaman pretty well in the late 60’s – early 70’s as he was the So. Pacific AAU women’s distance running chairman when I coached the Meteors. I met him one morning to jog the course I had laid out for the SPAAU meet. Bob had a pronounced pot belly. On the other hand, I was in pretty good shape from running with the girls. We just trotted 8 minute miles, but the difference in talent was obvious. I plodded, but his feet barely touched the ground.
Back to March of ’54. Bob was the top Frosh/JC half miler at 1:57.7 and #4 in the mile at 4:25.4 while running for the UCLA frosh. He was about to get better real quick.