by RBR Admin
This Day in Track & Field–January 28
1925—Paavo Nurmi, who had set a World Record in the ¾-mile the night before, returned to Madison Square Garden for the 2nd half of the 2-day Millrose Games and, much to the delight of another sell-out crowd of 10,000, set two more global records, running 5:30.2 at the 1-1/4 Mile mark en-route to clocking 6:39.4 for 1-1/2 Miles. Dropping out of the race was Joie Ray, who had set the previous 1-1/2 Mile record of 6:41.8 while winning the 6th of his 7 Millrose titles at the distance.
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1925/01/29/101636501.html?pageNumber=14
1950—It became known as “The Longest Mile” in history. The setting was the Millrose Games at NY’s Madison Square Garden, and the famed Wanamaker Mile provided one of the most controversial finishes in the annals of the sport.
The 15,000 fans in attendance waited anxiously while officials took 15 minutes after the two runners had crossed the finish line together in 4:09.3 to declare that Wisconsin’s Don Gehrmann was the winner over Fred Wilt. But that wasn’t the end of the story!
From Wally Donovan’s “A History of Indoor Track & Field”:
(Google “A History of Indoor Track & Field” for purchase information)
“On February 10th, 1950 The Metropolitan AAU registration committee announced that the winner of the Wanamaker mile was Fred wilt and not Don Gehrmann. Technically, it was not a reversal of the judges decision. It was, rather, a correction of what the registration committee felt should have been the proper decision in the 1st place. They felt that only the two first place judges and the judge picking 2nd had the right to decide the winner. The judge picking third was consulted and the judges deadlocked two-to-two. Chief judge Asa Bushnell then voted for Gehrmann to break the tie. Bushnell appealed the decision to the board of managers of the Metropolitan Association of the AAU. The board sustained its registration committee when the second stage of the appeal was heard. The 60 members in attendance voted unanimously in favor of the registration committee stand that Wilt won the race according to AAU rules .
Immediately following the voting , Bushnell announced that he would carry the case to its third and final stage, before the National AAU convention in Washington, DC in December. Meanwhile, Wilt and Gehrmann had met again on March 18th at the Chicago Daily News relays before a record crowd of 17,683 at the Chicago stadium. This time there was no doubt. Gehrmann won by 8 yards in 4:09.5. At the National AAU convention in Washington, DC on December 8th, 1950, Gehrmann was officially declared the winner and having won the second leg of the Rodman Wanamaker Cup Don got to keep the $750 silver trophy. The group’s Board of Governors voted 314 to 108 to accept a report with of the special committee named to investigate the decision. Thus ended the 11-month controversy on the “longest” mile race in history .
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1950/01/29/91101981.html?pageNumber=121
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1950/01/30/87020057.html?pageNumber=31
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1950/02/11/89719104.html?pageNumber=20
1956—Al Phillips (Montclair,NJ) ran 10-flat in his heat and 9.8 in the final to set two U.S. High School Records in the 100-yard dash at the NYU Interscholastic meet at NY’s Armory.
1961–Jumping indoors off a dirt surface in Leningrad, 18-year old Valeriy Brumel cleared 7-3 (2.21) in the High Jump to break John Thomas’s World Indoor Record of 7-2 ½ (2.20). He then had the bar raised to 7-4 ½ (2.25), higher than Thomas’s outdoor record of 7-3 ¾ (2.22), and he cleared on his first attempt!
1965—Fordham junior Sam Perry ran 5.9 at the Millrose Games to tie the World Record for 60-yards that he already shared with Bob Hayes.
Wyomia Tyus, the gold medalist in the 100-meters at the previous year’s Olympics in Tokyo, won the Women’s
60-yard dash in 6.9.
Another Tokyo gold medalist didn’t fare as well, as Billy Mills (10,000m) finished 3rd (8:52.0) in the 2-mile behind George Young (8:48.4) and New Zealand’s Bill Baillie (8:50.6).
St.John’s junior Tom Farrell (1:10.5) won the Mel Sheppard 600y over 1964 Olympic teammate Ollan Cassell (1:10.8). Theron Lewis was 3rd in 1:11.2, followed by Mike Larrabee (1:12.3), the 1964 Olympic Champion at 400-meters. Larrabee and Cassell won gold medals in the 4×400 relay in Tokyo.
Australia’s Judith Amoore won the Women’s 440-yards in 55.6, equalling her recently set World Indoor Record, and England’s John Whetton won the Wanamaker Mile in 4:05.4.
The winner of the Pole Vault was Mel Hein, Jr, the son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Mel Hein, who was a center for the NY Giants!
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/01/29/101524293.html?pageNumber=15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8bWjHeS3E8
1967–Three World Indoor Records were set at the Albuquerque Jaycee Invitational. Bob Seagren improved the Pole Vault record to 17-2 (5.235?), Theron Lewis ran 47.1 for 440-yards, and Jim Hines tied the 60-yard dash mark of 5.9. And Jerry Proctor (Muir,Ca) became the first prep to break the 26-foot barrier in the Long Jump, doing it three times, with a best of 26-2 (7.975?) (26-1 1/4 [7.955?], 26-2, 26-2).
Sports Illustrated Vault (Seagren Feature):
https://vault.si.com/vault/1967/02/20/he-sizzles-at-the-end-of-a-swizzle-stick
1972—The highlight of this year’s Millrose Games was the Men’s 600y, where Lee Evans (1:09.9) beat Martin McGrady (1:10.2) for the 2nd consecutive week.
“Lee’s really ready this year,” said McGrady, who had beaten Evans in nine of their first 11 meetings and had become known as “the chairman of the boards” for his talent on indoor tracks.
“I wanted to beat Martin twice in a row,” said Evans. “I just don’t like to lose.”
John Mason (4:03.2) won a tactical Wanamaker Mile over Italy’s Franco Arese (4:04.5), Bowling Green’s Dave Wottle (4:04.9), and Jamaica’s Byron Dyce (4:04.9), and Len Hilton (13:21.0) won the 3-mile over Frank Shorter (13:23.0).
Attendance 16, 550
1974—The Philadelphia Track Classic had been bumped from a preferred Friday night to a less-desirable Monday night, when no basketball or hockey games had been scheduled for the Spectrum, the premier venue in the City of Brotherly Love. But then someone realized that the 2nd Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight had been scheduled for the same night, an event that was prime closed-circuit TV material.
A compromise was reached, with the track meet moving to an earlier time to accommodate the boxing match. Less than 5,000 tickets (priced at $5 and $6) would be sold for the track meet, all of them in advance, and the remaining tickets (at $IO and $I5) would be saved for fight fans. Those who attended the track meet (yours truly included) could remain for the fight, which made the track ticket an impressive bargain.
On the track, Tony Waldrop won his 3rd straight sub-4 mile race of the season, overtaking Marty Liquori in the final steps, with both being timed in 3:58.9. Finishing 3rd in 4:01.7 was Dave Wottle, the 1972 Olympic champion at 800-Meters.
Confusion reigned in the 1000y as the lap counter screwed up and made everyone run an extra lap! Fortunately, there were 3 watches on the man who crossed the true finish line first—Byron Dyce, who was timed in 2:06.1.
Ethiopia’s Miruts Yifter went out very fast (60.3, 2:01.7) in the 2-mile to gap the field. Ireland’s Neil Cusack closed the gap, but Yifter (The Shifter) then unleashed an awesome last lap to win in 8:31.6 (Cusack 8:36.8).
The biggest shock of the meet came from local favorite Ed Lennex, a sophomore at St.Joseph’s University, who suddenly raised his high jump best from 6-8 to 7-2 (2.185). A resurging Gene White won on misses at that height, but it was Lennex who had the best attempt at 7-4 (2.235). A meandering Dwight Stones (New York Friday, Portland, Ore., Saturday, Philadelphia Monday) showed the effects of his busy weekend with a 7-0 (2.135) clearance in fourth.
(From Bob Hersh’s coverage in Track & Field News)
Results: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1974/01/29/81859559.html?pageNumber=71
Check This Day in Sports below for more on the fight.
1977–Running before a record crowd of 18,235 fans, Eamonn Coghlan won the first of his seven Wanamaker Miles at the Millrose Games in NY, running 4:00.2 to beat Kenya’s Wilson Waigwa (4:00.5), Tanzania’s Filbert Bayi (4:01.8), who was exhausted after experiencing some travel nightmares, and Marty Liquori (4:02.0).
Before the proliferation of super-fast 200-meter banked tracks, it was still possible to set World Records in races such as the 440y on an 11-lap track like the one used at Madison Square Garden. And that’s just what Rosalyn Bryant did, running 53.5 to break Lorna Forde’s 2-week old mark of 53.8. She also finished 3rd in the 60-yard dash.
Forde stepped up to the 880y here and set a MSG Record of 2:06.5. Two New Jersey preps had impressive performances. Renaldo Nehemiah (Scotch Plains) ran a hand-timed 7.2 in the trials of the Invitation 60-yard hurdles to equal the High School Record for the 42” barriers, and Kevin Byrne (Paramus Catholic,NJ) set a Millrose H.S. Mile record of 4:08.0 that would stand for 40 years (Noah Affolder ran 4:07.24 in 2017). It was the 2nd Millrose win in a row for Byrne, who had also run 4:08.0 the week before in Philadelphia.
Sports Illustrated Vault:
https://vault.si.com/vault/1977/02/07/when-irish-guys-are-miling
Results: https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/eTN1977_02.pdf
1977–A week after setting a Collegiate Record in the 1000y (2:05.5) on the University of Missouri track, Arkansas’ Niall O’Shaughnessy, a native of Ireland, returned to Columbia and ran 3:55.4 for the mile, just missing Tony Waldrop’s 3-year old World Indoor Record of 3:55.0.
The success of O’Shaughnessy, one of coach John McDonnell’s first recruits, led to other talented runners joining the Arkansas program, and helped set the stage for what would become an unprecedented run of success for the Razorbacks.
1981–Czech Jarmila Kratochvílová ran 49.64 in Vienna to smash the previous World Indoor Record of 51.57, set by East Germany’s Marita Koch in Milan in 1977. She would set the current record of 49.59 the following year.
1983–Before another huge crowd of 18,000+, Eamonn Coghlan won his 5th Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games with relative ease in 3:54.40. Germany’s Thomas Wessinghage finished a distant 2nd in 3:57.95. 4th was Villanova sophomore Marcus O’Sullivan (3:59.09), who was only in the race because Meet Director Howard Schmertz found it hard to say no to Wildcat coach Jumbo Elliott. “Whatever Jumbo wanted, Jumbo got”, joked Schmertz. O’Sullivan would go on to win the Wanamaker Mile five times (Coghlan would win it seven times).
Carl Lewis had a great series in the Long Jump, topped by his winning mark of 28-1/4 (8.54).
A real crowd pleaser was Clinton Davis, a senior at Steel Valley High School in Munhall,Pa. Davis won the “B” section of the 400-meters in 47.46 to break his own prep record of 48.23. The “seeded” section was won by Walter McCoy in 47.68, giving Davis the overall win. Among the other runners Davis beat were Cliff Wiley, the #1 American in 1982, and Jamaica’s Bert Cameron, who would win the 400 at the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki later in the year. Davis’s career, which had already slowed in 1984(see link below), was cut short tragically in 1985 when both legs were broken in an automobile accident.
H.S. Boys Mile
One of the most exciting races of the meet was the Jumbo Elliott High School Boys Mile, which featured 3 of the best preps in the U.S.
There was pre-meet talk of a very fast winning time, leading NBC to include the race in its TV coverage (with Charlie Jones and Frank Shorter providing the commentary).
That seemed a distinct possibility after Mike Stahr (Carmel,NY), the 1982 winner, led the field through the first ¼-mile in a quick 58.6. However, the pace, with Stahr still in the lead, slowed considerably over the next few laps, and it now became a tactical race. After a 3:10 split at the ¾-mile mark, the action during the last 2-3/4 laps had the crowd on its feet. With elbows flying, Stahr held off two challenges by John Carlotti (Bernards,NJ), and then one by his friend and long-time rival Miles Irish (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake,NY), who had set a National H.S. Record in the 1000m while beating Stahr a week earlier at Yale. With a lap to go, Stahr had to fight off Carlotti one last time before pulling away to win with a time of 4:10.98, with Carlotti (4:11.41) finishing 2nd over Irish(4:11.84).
40 years later, Stahr and Irish reflected on the race.
Stahr—”What a wonderful time in history to be racing! Going into Millrose was an amazing experience as Miles and I were friends and both of us wanted to win. I may have had a bit of an advantage being shorter but going up against Miles and the rest of the group was nerve racking. It was only 6 days earlier that Miles schooled me in the 1000m at Yale so I was a bit on edge. I believe to this day that if I had not passed Miles after 1 1/2 laps that he would have kept the strong pace and we both would have run much faster and nobody would have been able to stay with us. Not saying there weren’t very talented athletes in the race – John Carlotti, Jeff Van Wie, Charlie Marsala and everyone else gunning for the first place watch – but the one I worried about most was always Miles. The best thing about ’82 / ’83 was that Miles and I became lifelong friends. Much better than any race we competed against each other”.
Irish–My only comment is that since that day I now address Michael as “Millrose Mike” & you can quote me on that. I view that race as my worst “effort” of my senior year indoor season, where I did break six NYS Indoor records, one of which (the mile) was broken by Millrose Mike. For me that video is two sides of the same coin, for Mike it is an example of how to win a race on an 11-lap indoor track and for me it is an example of how not to run a race!”
(Irish [800] and Stahr [1600] ran on the Georgetown team that set a World Record of 9:20.96 in the Distance Medley at the 1987 Penn Relays)
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/30/sports/near-record-performances-mark-millrose-games.html
Davis: http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-21/sports/sp-14295_1_clinton-davis
Accident: http://tinyurl.com/DavisAccident
HSB Mile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5EHy_oPoec
Lewis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8CeUt3zUMs
1995–Nigeria’s Olapade Adeniken, a UTEP alum, received a new Porsche as his reward for setting a World Indoor Record of 10.13 for 100-meters at the US Air Inv. in Johnson City, Tennessee. Finishing a close 2nd was Jamaica’s Michael Green (10.14).
2000–Stacy Dragila improved her American Record (14-8 ¼ [4.48]) in the Women’s Pole Vault to 14-9 1/2 (4.51) on her “home” runway in Pocatello, Idaho.
2006-Francena McCorory a senior at Bethel H.S. (Va) ran 36.96 for 300-meters at Virginia Tech. Her time was not only a High School Record, it was also an American Record. (both records since broken/still #3 All-Time H.S.).
2006-Russia set the current World Indoor Record of 3:23.37 in the Women’s 4×400 relay in Glasgow, Scotland.
2011—Ethiopia’s Deresse Mekonnen (3:58.58) edged Bernard Lagat (3:59.01) to win the Wanamaker Mile at the final Millrose Games to be held at Madison Square Garden (the meet would move uptown to the Armory in 2012). For the 36-year old Lagat, it was the closest he would come to adding another win in the prestigious event to his record total of 8. (He would finish 4th in his final Wanamaker Mile in 2016).
Ashton Eaton won a 3-event multi affair over Trey Hardee and Bryan Clay (Shot Put, 60m-Hurdles, High Jump). Clay was the reigning Olympic Champion in the Decathlon, Hardee would win his 2nd World title in the Dec later in the year (beating Eaton), and Eaton would win the first of his 2 Olympics titles in the Dec in 2012.
Eaton-2666: 46-8 ¼ (14.22), 7.64, 6-8 ¼ (2.05); Hardee-2640: 52-3 ¾ (15.94), 7.83, 6-5 (1.96)
Clay-2609: 50-0 (15.24), 7.78, 6-5 (1.96)
Results: https://millrosegames.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=574&year=2011&do=info
Wanamaker Mile: https://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&do=videos&video_id=103270
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/sports/29millrose.html
Decathletes in the Spotlight: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/sports/27vecsey.html
https://ny.milesplit.com/meets/74256-millrose-games-2011/coverage#.Y9AISS-B3BA
Finding a New Home: https://www.si.com/more-sports/2011/06/29/millrose-gamestrackfield
2012—With the Millrose Games moving to the Armory, USATF wanted to maintain a presence at Madison Square Garden, the most famous sporting venue in the world, and the U.S. Open was born. Among the winners were Asafa Powell (50m-5.64), Terrence Trammell (50mh-6.45), Ryan Whiting (SP/69-5 ¼ [21.16]), Veronica Campbell-Brown (50m-6.08), Brenda Martinez (Mile-4:34.62), Lolo Jones (50mh-6.78), and Silas Kiplagat (4:00.65), who beat Bernard Lagat (4:00.92) to win the Men’s Mile. From T&F News.
Alas, the meet drew less than 6,000 spectators and didn’t return the following year.
Results: https://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=6991&year=2012&do=info
2012—Arkansas freshman Gunnar Nixon set the current World Junior Record of 6022 points in the Heptathlon (senior events) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He would win U.S. and World Junior titles in the Decathlon later in the year.
(7.10, 7.53 [24-8½], 13.97 [45-10], 2.15 [7-½], 8.21, 4.50 [14-9], 2:40.15
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar_Nixon
https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/gunnar-nixon-250509
2017—3 veterans and a high school senior teamed up set a World Indoor Record of 10:40.31 in the Distance Medley Relay at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury,MA.
Handling the baton were Emma Coburn (3:18.0), Sydney McLaughlin (52.3), Brenda Martinez (2:01.9), and Jenny Simpson (4:27.7). All 4, including prep McLaughlin in the 400-hurdles, had competed at the previous year’s Olympics in Rio, with Coburn (Steeplechase) and Simpson (1500) winning bronze medals in their respective events.
Video(Subscription Required): www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&mgroup_event_id=590&year=2017&do=videos&video_id=195696
McLaughlin Interview: https://nj.milesplit.com/articles/201319-sydney-mclaughlin-part-of-world-record-dmr-104031
Results: https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=1132
2017—Former Nittany Lion Casimir Loxsom returned to his former home track and set a World Indoor Record of 1:14.91 for 600-meters. Finishing a close 2nd was Penn State sophomore Isaiah Harris, who set a Collegiate Record of 1:14.96. UTEP’s Emmanuel Korir was the previous record-holder in both categories, having run 1:14.97 just 8 days earlier. Both new marks were broken by UTEP’s Michael Saruni, who ran 1:14.79 in 2018. (Donavan Brazier set the current WR of 1:13.77 at the 2019 U.S. Indoor Championships).
Video(Subscription required):
2017–Texas A&M set a Collegiate Record of 3:02.52 (since broken) in the 4×400 relay at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville. The previous mark of 3:02.86 was set by another Aggie quartet in 2015.
(Fred Kerley 45.0, Richard Rose 46.0, Devin Dixon 46.2, Mylik Kerley 45.3).
2022—The Bahamas’ Steven Gardiner, the 2021 Olympic champion at 400-meters, set a World Indoor Record of 31.56 for 300-meters at Clemson. The former Record of 31.87 was set by Noah Lyles in 2017.
https://worldathletics.org/news/report/steven-gardiner-world-indoor-300m-best-columbia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLV2HD0R6Jw
Significant Birthdays
Born On This Day*
Jessica Ennis-Hill Great Britain 39 (1986) Gold medalist in the Heptathlon at the 2012 Olympics and the 2009
and 2015 World Championships; Silver medalist at the 2016 Olympics; 2010 World Indoor Champion—
Pentathlon;
British Record holder—Heptathlon (6,955/2012[#8-All-Time])
Retired after the 2016 Olympics
All-Time List: http://www.alltime-athletics.com/whepaok.htm
Stats: https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/jessica-ennis-hill-14274988
Retirement: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/oct/13/jessica-ennis-hill-retires-athletics
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Ennis-Hill
Tim Montgomery 50 (1975) 2000 Olympic gold medalist-4×100 (1996-silver medalist);
1999 World Champion-4×100 (1997-bronze medalist); 6th in the 100 in 1999
Silver medalist in the 60-meters at the 2001 World Indoor Championships
PBs: 6.46i (2001), 9.92 (1997), 20.52 (1999)
Was a key figure in the Balco doping scandal. Based on evidence provided during the investigation, he was stripped of
all of his performances/honors from 2001-2005, including the silver medal he had won in the 100-meters at the
2001 World Championships and the “World Record” of 9.78 he had run in 2002. Initially declared his innocence, but
eventually admitted that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Montgomery
Interviews:
2009: http://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/columns/story?columnist=fish_mike&id=4487014
Matt Centrowitz 70 (1955) 2-time Olympian—1976 (1500), 1980 (5000);
4-time U.S. Champion—5000m (1979-1982); Former American Record holder—5000m (13:12.91/1982)
Son Matthew won the gold medal in the 1500-meters at the 2016 Olympics and is a 2-time World
Championship medalist in the 1500 (2011-bronze, 2013-silver; 4th 2012 Olympics; Daughter Lauren was an All-
American at Stanford.
Former coach at American University and Manhattan College
PBs: 3:36.70 (1976), 3:54.94 (1982), 7:48.20 (1978), 13:12.91 (1982), 28:32.7h (1983)
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Centrowitz
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78218
Like Father, Like Son: https://www.amazon.com/Like-Father-Son-Coaching-Parenting/dp/1542655048
Deceased
Parry O’Brien 75 (1932—April 21, 2007)
2-time Olympic gold medalist in the Shot Put (1952,1956), Silver medalist in 1960, 4th in 1964.
Set nine World Records from 1953-1956; PB: 64-7 ¼ [19.69] (1966)
2-time NCAA Champion while at USC (1952,1953/2nd-1951)
Charter member of the National Hall of Fame; Credited with creating the “O’Brien Glide” technique in the Shot Put.
17-time U.S. Champion (9-indoors [1953-1961], 8-outdoors [1951-1955, 1958-1960])
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKlAe8dKOyk
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parry_O%27Brien
NY Times Obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/23/sports/othersports/23obrien.html?_r=0
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78854
https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/parry-obrien-shot-put-world-record-1953
John Flanagan 70 (1868-June 3, 1938) 3-time Olympic gold medalist-Hammer (1900,1904,1908)
Irish Whale: http://www.wingedfist.org/John_Flanagan_Hercules.html
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/78400
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Flanagan_(athlete)
NY Times Obituary (for subscribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/06/05/issue.html
