Walt Murphy is without doubt one of the best monitor geeks that I do know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, a wonderful every day service that gives true geek tales about our sport. You may try the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (electronic mail: WaltMurphy44@gmail.com ) for your complete every day service. We are going to submit a couple of historic moments every day, starting February 1, 2024.
by Walt Murphy’s Information and Outcomes Service (wmurphy25@aol.com), used with permission.
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This Day in Observe & Area–April 6
(Olympics Reborn, John Camien, “You’re Fired”, Roy Martin, Johnny Grey, Hardee/Birthdays-Catalano, Samara, Bob Soth Arnie Sowell)
1896—The Olympic Video games (April 6-15) had been reborn in Athens, and the primary gold medals of the Fashionable Period had been received by Individuals James Connolly within the Triple Bounce (44-11 ¾ [13.71]) and Bob Garrett within the Discus (95-7 1/4/WR/29.15). Garrett would come again the following day to win the Shot Put (36-9 ¾ [11.22]) and likewise end second within the Lengthy Bounce.
The day began with the Opening Ceremony, with 60,000 followers cheering as Greece’s King George I declared the Video games open.
The American group, which might dominate these Video games, was drawn from Princeton College and the Boston Athletic Affiliation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics
NY Occasions(for subscribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/04/08/105746357.html?pageNumber=4
Panathenaic Stadium—Web site of the 1896 Olympics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panathenaic_Stadium
1963–John Camien, a sophomore at Emporia State(KS) ran down Dyrol Burleson, the previous American File holder within the occasion, to drag off an upset win within the Mile on the Texas Relays (4:02.6-4:02.8).
Camien, a NY State champion within the 880 and Mile whereas at Sewanhaka H.S. on Lengthy Island, received seven NAIA titles whereas at Emporia: two in cross-country (1963, 1964), three within the mile (1962, 1966, 1965), and one at 1500 meters (1964). He in all probability would have received extra, however the NAIA didn’t sponsor an indoor championship till 1966!
George Brose of As soon as Upon a Time within the Vest, a sophomore at Oklahoma, took the video linked beneath from the infield. He additionally presents another particulars from the meet at: https://onceuponatimeinthevest.blogspot.com/2013/02/april-1963.html (Scroll Down)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i6EtzHNSuo
Kansas Corridor of Fame: https://www.kshof.org/team/john-camien
1968—Two of the highest collegiate groups within the U.S. met in a twin meet, with Tennessee (77) beating Villanova (67) on the Vols’ house monitor in Knoxville.
Richmond Flowers (T/13.5) received the 120y-Hurdles over Erv Corridor (V/13.6). Corridor went on to win the silver medal within the 110m-Hurdles on the Mexico Metropolis Olympics later within the 12 months.
Villanova’s Larry James, one other future Olympic medalist, received the 440y (45.7). He received silver within the 400, gold within the 4×400 in Mexico Metropolis.
Tennessee’s Invoice Skinner received the Javelin with a throw of 243-7 (74.24), and Villanova’s Dave Patrick received the 880y (1:48.6).
1973–A momentous day within the lifetime of this monitor fan. It was a Friday, the day earlier than my sister Eileen was to get married, and our home was abuzz with pleasure and preparations for the large day. The telephone rang, and it was my Wall Road boss telling me that my providers had been now not required and that I didn’t have to report for work on Monday. He used some flimsy excuse to justify the firing, however, in actuality, he had been searching for a purpose to do away with me for at the least a 12 months. He caught me off guard and I weakly protested, however to no avail. Not eager to spoil the temper, I didn’t inform my household till after the marriage.
However let me return to the start of my company profession. After coasting by way of my senior 12 months of H.S. in 1961, I anticipated doing the identical after I entered Fordham that fall. However then I began realizing that I would really should work exhausting in school, and provide you with issues like “time period papers”. That freaked me out, so I handed on one type of schooling for one more.
My older sister Teresa labored for a Wall Road agency known as DeCoppet & Doremus, and, nepotism being what it was in these days, she was in a position to get me a job as a submitting clerk that fall. (By now, you’re in all probability questioning what this has to do with monitor & subject, however I’m attending to that).
I used to be a really younger and shy 17 after I began working, however Doremus, which was Wall Road’s model of “Animal Home”, quickly dragged me out of my shell. We had a lot enjoyable at that place that I couldn’t wait to go work every day (how many individuals can say that?), and friendships had been fashioned which are nonetheless going sturdy six a long time later.
This “funhouse” lasted till 1970, when phrase got here out that we had been going to merge with our competitor, Carlisle & Jacquelin (in actuality, it was a takeover–by them). I used to be one of many “fortunate” ones who was chosen to maneuver on to the mixed agency, however others, some with 20-years expertise, had been instructed on New 12 months’s Eve that they had been out of a job.
As free because the bosses at Doremus ran their ship (which I’m positive contributed to its downfall), those at Carlisle ran their’s like a Marine boot camp! A handful of us newcomers, unaccustomed to this strict surroundings, typically voiced our displeasure, and I had multiple shouting match with the pinnacle honcho (a lot for that shy teenager). After which got here that fateful telephone name.
Now, to the nice half, that silver lining is in my private cloud. I had been touring to trace meets across the U.S. and I had been to 3 Olympics with Observe and Area Information, however they had been all deliberate round no matter time I might get off from work. Now, for the primary time in my life, I had this open window, and I made a decision to make the most of it. I had some cash coming to me from my profit-sharing plan, so I made a decision to grow to be a “monitor bum” for some time (some would say I nonetheless am).
My “Glorious Journey” lasted 16 months and included a cross-country journey in 1973 in my vibrant orange Karmann (aka Kharman) Ghia, with stops in Baton Rouge (NCAA) and Bakersfield (AAU) earlier than heading off to Europe for a sequence of meets involving the U.S. Junior and Senior groups.
In 1974, I began out once more in my VW Ghia. Nonetheless, after driving right down to Austin (NCAA) after which to Gainesville (U.S. Junior Championships), I misplaced all need to drive again to California for the AAU meet. I left my automobile on the Gainesville airport, flew to Los Angeles, after which drove again to NY after I returned to Florida. With my money reserves depleted and my bank card payments hovering, it was time for a actuality test, so I reluctantly returned to the world of Wall Road within the fall of 1974, staying for 11 years earlier than deciding to grow to be a full-time “monitor bum” in 1985!
1984–Texas’ Einar Vilhjálmsson, a senior from Iceland, took benefit of sturdy winds to throw the “outdated” Javelin 303-2 (92.42) on the Texas Relays to set a Collegiate File. The earlier mark of 300-0 (91.44) was set by Arizona State’s Mark Murro in 1970. Vilhjálmsson went on to win his 2nd straight NCAA title in June and completed sixth on the L.A. Olympics. He additionally competed for Iceland on the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
Vilhjálmsson, whose dad Vilhjálmur was the silver medalist within the Triple Bounce on the 1956 Olympics, was elected President of the Icelandic Federation in September 2014.
1984/1985–Texas prep Roy “The Robotic” Martin kicked off a tremendous two-year stretch by profitable general MVP honors on the 1984 Texas Relays. On Friday (4-6), the junior at Roosevelt H.S. received the prep 100-meters in a wind-aided 10.14, then got here again the next day (4-7) to anchor his group to quick wins within the 4×100 (40.65) and 4×400 (3:09.09). His 44.8 anchor within the latter race was thought on the time to be the quickest ever run by a prep.
In 1985, he repeated because the meet’s MVP regardless of the presence of California phenom Henry Thomas. After Thomas was disqualified for a false-start, Martin beat Joe DeLoach to win the 100 meters in 10.18, solely .02s off Houston McTear’s Nationwide H.S. File (4-5). DeLoach went on to win the gold medal within the 200-meter on the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
The followers had been searching for a giant matchup between Thomas and Martin on the anchor leg of the 4×400 (4-6), however the race was no contest. Thomas’s 44.5 anchor, which surpassed Martin’s 44.8 cut up from the earlier 12 months, led Hawthorne to the still-standing Nationwide File of 3:07.40. Working a 47.9 opening cut up for Hawthorne was Mike Marsh, who would win the gold medal within the 200-meters on the 1992 Olympics. Martin, who had earlier anchored Roosevelt to victory within the 4×100 (41.01), nonetheless placed on fairly a present, operating a 44.9 anchor to provide his group 2nd place (3:10.49).
Martin, who set a Nationwide H.S. 200 File of 20.13 (twice) in 1985, was chosen as Observe and Area Information’ Males’s Prep Athlete of the 12 months in each 1984 and 1985. He was ranked #5 on the planet within the 200 in 1984 and moved as much as #3 in 1985. He ran on three NCAA Champion 4×400 relay groups whereas at SMU (2-indoor, 1-outdoor) and made it to the semi-finals of the 200 on the 1988 Olympics. His 200 document lasted till 2016, when Noah Lyles ran 20.09 on the U.S. Olympic Trials.
He was inducted into the Nationwide H.S. T&F Corridor of Fame in 2019.
Trying Again:
