THE 2008 OLYMPIC STADIUM IN BEIJING

 

THE OLYMPICS ARE HERE!!!!

 

 

 

COACH LARRY KNUTH HONORS OUR OLYMPIANS

 

TEAM USA HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPACTED BY THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES

 

Frank Wykoff…Sprints                   

Glendale HS / Glendale JC / USC

 Three Olympics, three relays, three gold medals, three world records

    Wykoff was a three-time Olympian (1928, 32, 36) and NCAA Champion at 100-yards in 1930 and 1931. In the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics held in the Coliseum Wykoff and teammates won the 400-meter relay with a world record time of 40.0. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics Frank placed fourth in the 100 meters and then joined legendary Jesse Owens on the victorious 400-meter relay to break the world record with a 39.8 clocking. 

 Wykoff tied the Olympic Record when he won the 1928 Olympic Trials 100-10.6 and also tied the world record in the 200 meters-20.45. A month later at the U.S. Olympic Finals, he tied the world record in the 100-meters four times and his status as a sprinting legend was sealed forever when he won gold medals in the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games in the 4 x 100 meter relay. 

Ken Carpenter…Discus

Porterville HS / Compton CPC / USC

Two-time NCAA Champ, ’36 Olympic gold 

Cornelius Johnson… High jump  

Los Angeles HS / Compton CC

    

1936 Olympic champion, 8-USA titles, *world, USA records

 

Mack Robinson …Sprints, long jump

John Muir HS / Pasadena JC / Oregon

’36 Olympic 200 silver medalist, NCAA title, 200 JC record

 

Bill Sefton, Earl Meadows …Pole vault

“The Heavenly Twins” …Southern Calif. JC / USC

*National JC records, two-time NCAA Champions; ’36 Olympics: 1st, 2nd 

 

Archie Williams…400-meters                                  

University HS / San Mateo JC / UC Berkeley

                        

NCAA, AAU, ’36 Olympic Champion

 

Bob Young…1600-meter relay silver medal

Bakersfield CC / UCLA

BC’s 1936 Olympian held BC LJ record-20yrs.

 

Wilbur “Moose” Thompson…Shot put

Modesto HS / Modesto JC / USC

1948 Olympic Champion

 

Sim Iness…Discus

Tulare HS / Compton CC / USC

*World record,’52 Olympic Champion, two NCAA titles

First thrower to break the 190 barrier

 

Ollie Matson…400, 1600 relay                         

 Washington HS / San Francisco CC / U. of San Francisco

                           

 ’56 Olympics: Bronze-400, silver-1600 relay  

Legendary NFL player-14 year career 

 

Bob McMillen…Steeplechase, 1500

LA Cathedral HS / Glendale CC / Occidental College

National JC, NCAA titles; ’52 Olympic 1500 runner-up

Two-time Olympian: Steeple-’48, 1500-’52

 

Charles Dumas…High jumper

Centennial HS, Compton, Ca. / Compton College / USC

First 7-ft. jumper, ’56 Olympic Champion; five USA titles

 

Rink Babka…Discus                                        

Palo Alto HS / Menlo JC / USC

                                      

’60 Olympic silver; State JC, NCAA, AAU titles

17-years in the limelight

 

Ed Caruthers…High jump

Santa Ana Valley HS / Santa Ana College / Arizona

’68 Olympic silver medal, *national JC record, two So Cal titles

 

John Rambo… High jump

Long Beach Poly HS / Utah St. / Long Beach CC / Long Beach State

’64 Olympic bronze, NCAA title, led LBCC to ’63 state title 

1967: equaled American indoor record 7-3

 

Lee Evans …400, 1600 relay           

Overfelt HS / San Jose CC / San Jose State

             

International legend in track and field-first to break 44 seconds 

’68 Olympic 400, 1600 relay titles; #3 in world at San Jose CC

 

Bob Seagren …Pole vault

Pomona HS / Mt. SAC / USC

From 15 to 17 ft. in less than two years!

’68 Olympic gold, ’72 silver; 6-USA, 3-NCAA titles

World, USA, NCAA records; 3rd man over 17, 18 ft.

 

Ronnie Ray Smith…sprints, relay

LA Manual Arts HS / Los Angeles CC / San Jose State

Two world records: 100, 400-relay

’68 Olympics gold medal, world record 400 relay

 

Eddie Hart …400 relay

Contra Costa JC / UC Berkeley

                                            

’69 state 100, 220 champ

Anchored ’72 Olympic gold medal *world record relay

 

John Powell … Discus

American River CC / San Jose State

Five-time Olympia: ’76-Silver, ’84-Bronze; former world record-holder

From sixth in state JC meet to an international icon in the event

 

Arnie Robinson…Long Jump

SanDiego Mesa / San Diego State

’76 Olympic title, ’72-Silver

Long-time SD Mesa coach, former Mesa star

 

 

Kate “the Great” Schmidt …Javelin

Long Beach CC / Long Beach State

                                        

American icon in the javelin-’72 &’76 Olympic bronze 

Discovered on the softball field, seven USA titles

 

James Butts…Triple Jump

East Los Angeles CC / UCLA

State meet record, NCAA, AAU titles, ’76 Olympic silver 

5¼ inches short of making’72 & ’80 Olympic teams

 

Millard Hampton …200, 400 relay

Silver Creek HS / San Jose CC / UCLA

1976 Olympics: 400 relay gold, 200-meters silver 

 

Maxie Parks…1600 relay

Fresno CC / UCLA

’76 Olympic gold medal relay, two USA titles

 

Valerie Briscoe …Sprints, 1600 relay

LA Locke HS / CS Northridge / Long Beach CC

                                

Three Olympic gold medals-’84; still holds American 400 record

First sprinter, male or female, to win Olympic 400-200 double

First woman to break 50 seconds; fastest ever relay leg-48.7

Ran on ’88 Olympics 1600 silver medal relay

 

Johnny Gray …800

Fontana HS / *Santa Monica CC

Four Olympic teams, four Olympic 800 finals, ’92-Silver medal

World, USA records; two decades an international runner 

* Santa Monica College-1979: SoCal Finals 800-1st 1:49.39. At the 1980 state meet Gray set a *national record of 1:47.44. This was the beginning of more than two

decades of international level competition.

 

Dave Laut …Shot put

Santa Clara HS / San Jose CC / UCLA

State champion, two NCAA, four AAU titles, *American record: 72-3

’84 LA Olympics-Silver medal

 

Julius Kariuki …Steeplechase

 Kenya / Riverside CC

          

’88 Olympic title-8:05.51, Olympic record

’88 Riverside CC: *national steeple mark-8:29.4

 

 

Jim Doehring… Shot put

San Clemente HS / Saddleback CC / San Jose State

Three state titles, USA Outdoor, Indoor (70-9) titles

’92 Olympics-Silver medal

 

 

 

Andre Phillips …Intermediate hurdles

Silver Creek HS, San Jose / San Jose CC / UCLA

                                  

State, *national records; NCAA, ’88 Olympic titles 

 

Ato Boldon …Sprints

Trinidad / San Jose City / UCLA

State, NCAA, World titles; ’96 Bronze-200

 

Mark Crear …High hurdles

Mt. SAC / USC

Two-time Olympian, Silver-’96; ’92 NCAA Champ

International level: 1993-2002

 

Noureddine Morceli …1500, 5000

Algeria / Riverside CC

                            

Four state cc titles in two events in consecutive years,

Still owns 1500, 5000 national cc records,

First miler under 3:45; ’96 Olympic 1500 title

 

a little history, a little humor

 

The first trip to China by a USA T&F team-1975 …

    May 11, 1975 …A coed USA T&F team leaves San Francisco for Hong Kong-an 18 hour flight. When they meet the South China team and practice there are 5000 watching. The second practice, in incredible humidity, is in front of 10,000! Their first meet is held in rain so hard that the throwing rings filled and the steeple pit overflowed, lane stripes washed away (dirt track), and runways disappeared. None of the capacity 20,000 crowd left until the meet was ov

 

Jerry Wilson, seen here during his high school days, was a former community college athlete that was one of the few US track and field stars to compete in China.

 

    In Shanghai for the second meet Jerry Wilson, former Fresno City College state champion, wins the high hurdles in 13.6  and Terry Albritton (Newport Harbor HS, Ca./ Stanford) throws the shot 67-0. Later that evening two large American weight men go shopping and are astonished to see about 1000 Chinese following them with blank stares on their faces.  In Peking 60,000 attend the meet featuring the all-China team. They arrive back in the USA on May 30 to learn of the death of legendary Steve Prefontaine, Oregon distance runner.

 

-Track & Field News, September 1975

 

 

Anyone fortunate to be able to attend the upcoming China Olympics shouldn’t complain about the long plane flight, but they probably will. They might feel better after you share this story: 

... Bert Nelson, co-founder and editor of Track & Field News, commented that to get to the Melbourne, Australia Olympics in 1956 entailed a 30-hour plane ride, via stops in Honolulu and Fiji-obviously pre-jet engine time.

 

Three who missed O-teams by …

 

 George Kersh ran for Taft College under then coach and now current Cerritos College coach Doug Wells,

 

George Kersh… 800…Pearl HS, Miss. / Taft CC / U. of Mississippi

1992 Olympic Trials: 4th 1:44.00 *just .03 off 3rd to make O-team  

 

                                                                         Tom Petranoff was a star at the California Community College level before going onto to international success.

 

Tom Petranoff-Palomar … Javelin…tie 3rd-missed the ’80 team by 2nd best effort rule

 

                                                                                                 Tom Nohilly, another Taft alumnus, missed the team by the narrowest of margins.

 

Tom Nohilly-Taft / U. Florida …Steeplechase …missed the ’92 team by .04 second