Salute
the Champions
THE JUMPS-Jackie Robinson (
200-meter silver medalist) national record by one inch. That was the longest
jump at PCC until future USC jumper Kenny Hayes came along in 1978 and won the
state cc title with a still-standing mark of 26’ 2 ¾”.
At UCLA Robinson won the Pacific
Coast Conference with a jump of 25’ then finished off the year by winning the
1940 NCAA title with a leap of 24’ 10 1/8” -very impressive marks for the dirt
runway era of heavy American spikes and no modern jump training methods.
–2007 UCLA basketball
media guide; conversation with Pat Williams, Hayes’ jump coach at PCC
SPRINTS/HURDLES - Myra Mayberry (El Camino CC/USC/USA Olympic Team)
A long and notable career-Mayberry won the 1985 state cc
meet 100 and 200-meters and ran legs on the winning 400 and 1600-meter relays
to lead El Camino to the team title with a still-standing women’s team scoring
record 139.5 points. She was named Athlete of the Meet. At El Camino her best
times were 11.45, 23.8, and 54.4. As a freshman in 1984 she was a member of El
Camino’s still-standing national record 1600-meter relay (3:37.73)
At USC Mayberry ran on three-school record relays (400,800,1600) and was a
three-time NCAA All-American in the 400 and 1600-meter relays. Her collegiate
bests were 11.41, 23.79, and 54.04.
Although never ranked in the top ten
-USC T&F media guide/2007 state
cc meet program
THE
DISTANCES-Terry Cotton (Grossmont CC/Arizona
U.) … When the name Grossmont
is mentioned the word association is “distance power”- the Griffins have won 15
state individual titles from the 1500-meters through the 10,000. The
talented Cotton won the 1975 SoCal Finals with a 4:05.4
mile (57 second last lap) yet didn’t get the school record which was 4:03.6 set
by Ed Mendoza (
-LA84 Library/2007 state cc meet
program
THE
THROWS-Diana Clements (Saddleback CC/USC) … Athlete of
the Year at San Clemente High School in 1981 Clementsleft
her mark at Saddleback CC where she won the 1984 state title in the discus and
placed second in the shot put. She was ranked first in the nation among
community college discus throwers and second nationally in the shot put. She
continued to improve at USC where she was a three-time All-American: fifth in
the ’85 NCAA; third in ’86; fifth in’87. Diana was the first USC woman to throw
past 50 feet. She had her best throws in 1986 with a 55’8 ¼” shot put and a
167-10 discus best. Clements competed in the 1984 Olympic Trials in the LA
Coliseum. -USC Track & Field
media guide
COACH/OFFICIAL-Walt Smith
(Glendale CC/Santa Ana CC/USC/Glendale College track coach/dean of students) …
He wins the national championship, leaves the sport to fight in WWII for five
years, then returns and wins another national title (!) … Smith, talented
and tough, won the 1942 AAU 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 52.0. He then
went into the service during WWII and served as a paratrooper. He returned to
repeat as 1947 AAU 400-IH Champion (52.4)-five years later. A
feat difficult for today’s athletes to relate.
In 1948 Smith coached Bob McMillen
to the national junior college steeplechase title as the Vaquero team placed third in that national meet (the California CC
state meet began in 1951). In 1952 McMillen, an
The