This Day in Track & Field, January 23, Joie Ray wins Mile and half race at Millrose Games (1918), Curt Clausen sets 30k AR (2000), Born this Day: Coach Bob Larsen (1939)by Walt Murphy

Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission.

(c)Copyright 2025- all rights reserved. May not be reprinted or retransmitted without permission.

by Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service  (wmurphy25@aol.com)

This Day in Track & Field–January  23

1918—Future Hall-of-Famer Joie Ray (6:57.8) was a runaway winner of the Mile-and-a-Half at the Millrose Games, held at NY’s Madison Square Garden. It was the 2^nd of his 7 Millrose wins at the distance, which would eventually become the Wanamaker Mile in 1926.

With World War I still underway in Europe, several races were held for members of the U.S. Military, most notably the 1000-yard race (with a crowded field of 30!), which was won by another future Hall-of-Famer: the Army’s Abel Kiviat (2:24.2), the silver medalist in the 1500 meters at the 1912 Olympics.

(For Subscribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/01/24/102660651.html?pageNumber=11

1960—Gary Gubner (DeWitt Clinton H.S., NY) set a U.S. High School Record of 63-0 (19.20) in the Shot Put at the St.Francis Prep Games at NY’s Armory. During his prep career, he was known for breaking light fixtures on H.S. gym ceilings.

He would become one of the world’s best shot-putters (ranked #2 in 1962) and weight-lifters.

The former NYU star won two NCAA titles (1963,1964) and was the 1962 U.S. Champion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gubner

Sports Illustrated Vault

T&F News Rankings:

https://trackandfieldnews.com/mens-world-rankings-by-athlete-2/mens-world-shot-rankings-by-athlete/

1965–Junior Bill McClellon (DeWitt Clinton, NYC) cleared 6-10  ¼ (2.09) at the St.Francis Prep Games at NY’s Armory to set his 4^th National H.S. Indoor Record in the High Jump. McClellon’s series of records, all set at the Armory, rated as the #5 Greatest Moment in Armory History (Through 2007). He would set his 5^th (and final) Indoor Record when he cleared 6-11 at the beginning of his senior year.

He cleared 7’-0” outdoors at the 1965 U.S. Championships to become the first prep to top that barrier.

6-07  ¾            January 18, 1964  Cardinal Hayes Games (Previous record holder—John Thomas(!) 6-7  ½, 1958

6-08                 February 29, 1964  PSAL Championships

6-09  ½            December 12, 1964   Bishop Loughlin Games

6-10  ¼            January 23, 1965  St.Francis Prep Games

6-11                 October 21, 1965  Sao Paulo, Brazil

Armory’s Greatest Moments  (Through 2007)

Marc Bloom traces the life and career of McClellan in this two-part series:

Part 1: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=645265

Part 2: https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=645294

1999—Brigham Young’s Leonard Myles-Mills, a senior from Ghana, ran 6.48 for 60 meters in Colorado Springs, breaking the Collegiate Record of 6.50 set by Pittsburgh’s Lee McRae in 1987. He would put the current mark of 6.45 the following month. (Tied by Tennessee’s Christian Coleman in 2017 and Texas Tech’s Terrence Jones in 2022). He would win his 2^nd straight NCAA 100 title in June.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Myles-Mills

2000– Curt Clausen (New York AC) set an American Record of 2:11:00.4 for the 30k Walk in Chula Vista, California. He was elected President of USATF at the group’s 2024 Meeting.

2021-Texas A&M frosh Athing Mu ran 1:25.80 for 600 meters at the Aggie Inv. on her home track, breaking the 40-year old Collegiate Record of 1:26.56, set in 1981 by Tennessee’s Delisa Walton Floyd.

Significant Birthdays

Born on This Day*

Irving Saladino–Panama   42 (1983)  2007 World and 2008 Olympic champion—Long Jump

Silver medalist at the 2006 World Indoor Championships

2007 Pan-American Games Champion

6^th at the 2005 World Championships

#8 performer in history–28-7  ¾ (8.73);

All-Time List:

Top-10: https://trackandfieldnews.com/tfn-lists/world-all-time-list-men/

Deeper(metric): http://www.alltime-athletics.com/mlongok.htm

Retirement: https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/irving-saladino-retirement

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Saladino

2008 OG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNcTwYvUfb4

OG Report: http://www.olympedia.org/results/257321

Andrew Rock  43  (1982)  2005 World Champion—4×400; Silver medalist in the 400 meters at the 2005 World

Championships; 3-time  NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor Champion while at Wisconsin-LaCrosse;

PB-44.35 (2005)

       Married to Missy Buttry, who won 12 Div. III titles while at Wartburg

I am the head coach at Bethel University in St.Paul, MN.

http://athletics.bethel.edu/staff.aspx?staff=287

Margaret Bailes  74 (1951)  17 At the time, she was a gold medalist in the 4×100 at the 1968 Olympics:

42.88 (World Record) Bailes, B. Ferrell, M. Netter, W. Tyus (5^th in the 100, 7^th in the 200).

1968 U.S. Champion—100m; Retired after the Olympics!

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Bailes

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77751

Bob Larsen 86 (1939)  Hall-of-Fame Coach

         Coached X-Country and T&F at UCLA from 1979 until his retirement (from college coaching) in 1999. Succeeded

Jim Bush was the Head T&F coach in 1984. Led the Bruins to NCAA team titles in 1987 & 1988.

From Wikipedia: “Among the athletes on those championship teams were Olympic gold medalists Steve Lewis,

Danny Everett and Kevin Young. Other athletes on Larsen’s teams included Ato Boldon, John Godina, Henry

Thomas, Michael Granville and Meb Keflezighi”.  Throughout his post-collegiate career, he continued to coach Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver
medalist in the Marathon.

Led the Jamul Toads to a surprising team title at the 1976 U.S. X-Country Championships

A recounting  of Jamul Toads’s odyssey is one of the highlights of the documentary about Larsen’s

coaching career- “City Slickers Can’t Stay With Me”. (http://www.boblarsenfilm.com/)

Formerly coached at Monte Vista High School and Grossmont College

Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 2014. Received USATF’s Legend Coach Award in 2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Larsen

Hall of Fame Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/bob-larsen

Go Be More Podcast:  Part 1  Part 2

Memorable Moments at UCLA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us-X2TkNmS4

UCLA HOF: https://uclabruins.com/honors/hall-of-fame/bob-larsen/38

Elliott Denman 91 (1934) 1956 U.S. Olympian—50k Walk (11^th); 1959 U.S. Champion-3k & 50k Walk

Competed for NYU and the NY Pioneer Club. Currently a proud member of the Shore Athletic Club

Award-winning journalist has been covering the sport for more than 60 years, most notably for Asbury Park

Press(NJ) and now for various internet outlets. (See his article on Horace Ashenfelter below.)

The delayed celebration of his 85^th birthday in 2019 was attended by close to 300 people, including a dozen

Olympians! Another celebration for his 90^th birthday was held at Tim McCloone’s Pier House in Long

Branch, NJ, and no less than 14 Olympians, including Carl Lewis, were among the huge crowd!

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78319

https://gonyuathletics.com/hof.aspx?hof=1&path=&kiosk=

Shore A.C.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HevIPu2BS8M

Oldest Living Olympians: https://acsweb.ucsd.edu/~ptchir/

Stan Saplin Award:

http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2012/mar/09/elliott-denman-recipient-of-the-stan-saplin-award/

’56 Olympic Trials: https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2000-09-02-0009020402-story.html

Deceased

Horace Ashenfelter 94 (1923-Jan.6, 2018)  An FBI agent at the time, he was the 1952 Olympic gold medalist in the

steeplechase; 3-time U.S. Champion (’51,’53,’56)

Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1975

The indoor track at Penn State, his alma mater, bears his name;

Passed away in 2018 at the age of 94.

       2010 Interview(Gary Cohen): http://www.garycohenrunning.com/interviews/ashenfelter.aspx

       2012 Article: http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2012/08/horace_ashenfelter_1952_olympi.html

       2014 Article by Elliott Denman:

www.runblogrun.com/2018/01/horace-ashenfelter-an-American-icon-and-glen-ridge-new-jersey-hometown-hero-by-Elliott-denman.html

       Running Past: http://www.runningpast.com/horace_ashenfelter.htm

Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Ashenfelter

NY Times Obituary:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/07/obituaries/horace-ashenfelter-dead-olympic-steeplechase.html

Sergey Litvinov–Russia 60 (1958-February 19, 2018)  Gold medalist 1988 Olympics (Hammer), 1983 and 1987 World

Championships

Set three World Records in the early 1980s; PB: 282-3 (86.04/1986), #2-Performer All-Time

Coached, among others, his son (also named Sergey), who was 5^th in the hammer at the 2015 World

Championships in Beijing and has a best of 265-8(80.98).

https://www.worldathletics.org/news/iaaf-news/sergey-litvinov-hammer-throw-obituary

       Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Litvinov_(athlete,_born_1958)

WR Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_hammer_throw_world_record_progression

All-Time Lists:

Top-10: http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/tafn-lists?list_id=9&sex_id=M&yyear=2008

Deeper(metric): http://www.alltime-athletics.com/mhammok.htm

Olympic Stats: http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77543