a little history, a little humor

“Take my baton? Well, I’ll show you!”… “At a community college relays I remember during a very close 880-yard relay, things got real jammed up at the exchange and one runner grabbed the wrong baton and took off. The runner from the other team took off after him in hot pursuit, frantically trying to get his baton back. The incident nearly caused a fight between the two teams.”   –Gordon Joyce, Kona, Hawaii, Cerritos College letterman
 

  Believe-it-or-not: still standing records- almost 30 years now!

High School Shot (24.78-meters) 81-3 ˝”  …  Michael Carter (Jefferson, Dallas, Texas)
… set in Sacramento, California 6/16/79

SP (int’l/Jr.) (20.65-meters) 67-9 … Michael Carter (Jefferson, Dallas, Texas)
… set in Boston, Massachusetts 7/04/79
    Carter went on to SMU (Southern Methodist U., Dallas, Texas) and won
three NCAA shot put titles. He then had a notable football career in the NFL.

-T&F News                 

Amy Thiel
Moorpark CC
first female thrower to win three state meet events   
 

 Thiel threw the still-standing American commuinity college  mark of 184-9 in the 2000 state meet. She also made history becoming the first thrower to win three events in the

state meet (49-0 shot put, 157-8 discus).
     Additional information about Thiel is requested-knuthfam@hotmail.com 
 
 

Billy Mullins
LA Hamilton HS/ West LA CC/ USC
World Class-one STRONG runner

                                                                                        

   Mullins, West LA’s 1977 state 200-meter champion at 20.80, also placed second in the 100 to sprint sensation Houston McTear (Santa Monica CC). His other West LA best times were 46.44 and 10.41. Chuck Hollaway, ex-Fullerton CC/UCLA hurdler,  was Mullins’ coach at West LA.
  Mullins became a world-class 400-meter runner the next three years at USC. At the 1978 NCAA meet Mullins showed his strength as he ran six 400s, including his 400 victory, and three sprint relay legs in three days to lead the Trojans to the NCAA team title.  It was a magical year for Mullins and USC as he was ranked second in the world with a best of 45.3-in the UCLA dual, and ran on the Trojan’s world record 800-meter relay (1:20.3) and on the collegiate record 400-meter relay (38.85). He and his talented teammates also ran 3:03.3 in the long relay for a school record and the second fastest time in the world that year. Rayfield Beaton, a member of that USC 1600-meter foursome, has been a long-time community college track and field coach at West LA CC and is now assisting at Cerritos.
   In 1980 Mullins ran a world-best 44.84 and was on the still-standing USC record 400-meter relay (38.69). He was voted captain of the 1980 Trojan team and Track & Field News placed him on the front cover of the May 1979 issue. Following the USC season Mullins ran in the AAU Nationals 100-meters and placed fourth in 10.28. -USC T&F media guides
 


Don Shy
Mt. SAC/San Diego State
Two national cc records for the Mountie
 

  •  In 1965 Shy ran 13.6 two-times for a national community college 120-yard high hurdle record; a wind-aided 13.7 Mt. SAC Relays win; and followed that with a West Coast Relays victory in 13.6. Two times that year he ran 13.9 for 110 meter hurdles.
  • In June 1965, on the Mt. SAC facility, Shy set a national cc decathlon record of 7,486 that included a state long jump best of 24-8. His USA decathlon rankings were: 7th in 1964 and 4th in 1965.
  • At the 1965 AAU Nationals Shy ran 13.6 (yds.) in a semi-final, but in 1966 he placed second in the meet with a 13.6 effort over 120-yards.
  • A superb athlete Shy went on to San Diego State to star in football and afterward played in the NFL.
       *Coached by Don Ruh at Mt. SAC
    -Mt SAC Relays Hall of Fame and Mt. SAC Relays programs