About Coach Larry Knuth

Olympic Trials Updates

Magdalena Lewy Boulet (El Camino/ UC Berkeley) 10,000-6^th 32:45.06

                                                                  Boulet, the Long Beach City alum, already has earned a spot on the women's Olympic Marathon Team

Chris Figures (Bakersfield/ CS Bakersfield) SP Prelims: 65-6 ¾; Finals-all fouls

                        Allmond, the former Mt. SAC Mountie, placed in the top ten in the long jump.

Tony Allmond (Mt. SAC) LJ prelims-9^th 24-9 ¼

Tai Battle (Moorpark/Arizona State) Discus Prelims-5^th 184-10; Finals-8^th 177-11

Carlos Moore (Mt. SAC) 100 Heat-8^th 10.33

Lucais MacKay (Moorpark) Hammer prelims-5^th 224-02; Finals-Thursday

Chris Richardson (Cerritos/CS Long Beach) Decathlon 16^th -7312

Arnold Cueto (Bakersfield/CS Bakersfield) Hammer Prelims-11^th 212-07

Tyree Washington (San Bernardino Valley) 400 Prelims-5^th 46.56

                                                                               Jeff Laynes (Merrit JC), who is now in his late 30's, is still holding his own against the best.

Jeff Laynes (Merritt/USC) 100 Prelims-7^th 10.37…Laynes won three state meet gold medals for Merritt in 1991…17-years later he is still competing at the highest level. Extraordinary!

      a little history, a little humor

  Hayward Field’s Namesake

Hayward Field’s namesake was an ATHLETE … Oregon’s famous Hayward Field, site of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials, is named after Bill Hayward, former Oregon coach who preceded legendary Bill Bowerman. In the early 1890s Hayward succeeded as a professional sprinter. Traveling on a summer Caledonian Sports Circuit that began in Rochester, New York and ended in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he once won five races in one day, at 75, 135, 300, 400, and 600 yards. His earnings topped $4,000 per meet-a considerable amount of money at the time. Before 1896 there was no modern Olympics to ban professionals. An all around athlete Hayward played lacrosse, rowed, boxed, wrestled, and played ice hockey.

-Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore; Rodale, 2006

In the 1968 championships San Jose State’s Kirk Clayton made it to the 100 -yard finals only to be disqualified for running out of his lane-maybe a first in NCAA straightaway races. However, San Jose went on to win its first NCAA team title with California community college ("JC" was the term then) products Lee Evans (San Jose CC), Sam Davis (Fresno CC), Ronnie Ray Smith (LACC), and John Powell (American River) a vital part of the Spartan scoring machine.  *21 California CC alums competed in those NCAA Championships at U. Tennessee.

Four of our own whose Olympic dreams were taken away by politics

There are nearly 60 California community college track and field Olympians. Four of them were denied the opportunity to compete in Moscow in the ’80 Olympiad.President Jimmy Carter declined to send the 1980 USA Olympic team to Russia because that country had invaded Afghanistan and the Olympics were part of Carter’s boycott plan. At the ’80 USA Trials the following former California community college athletes qualified for the 1980 team: Gwen Gardner (West LA), John Powell (American River), Dan Ripley (Cypress), James Robinson (Laney).

The 1980 track and field Olympians will be honored in a variety of ways in Eugene by Nike, the Oregon governor, and the US Olympic Committee over two days. They will participate in opening ceremonies of the Trials June27.

Following are career highlights of our four CCC 1980 Olympians:

Gwen Gardner

  LA Crenshaw HS / LA Mercurettes / West LA / Hawaii 

USA Champion, Olympic Trials Runner-up

’82 SoCal, State 400-200 double wins; West LA takes SoCal

                                                                             Gwen Gardner, who also ran for Crenshaw High School, was a California Community College great before making the United States Olympic team.

Crenshaw HS:  USA Jr. Championships-3^rd 53.47; ran briefly on a Summer European tour. 1979: Mt. SAC Relays 200-1^st 23.03, 400-1^st 52.22 (*beat 4 Olympians in the two wins-a breakthrough–still in high school)

1980 Olympic Trials: 400-2^nd 51.68 (semis-51.94, heat-52.28)

’80 Summer European Tour: Stuttgart-2^nd 51.99

West LA CC-1981: State meet 400-2^nd 54.35, *also breaking state meet record of 54.89, 200-2^nd 24.20, anchored 4x1 relay to 2^nd place

 1982: So Cal Finals 400-1^st 53.14, 200-1^st 23.78,* meet record, 100-2^nd 12.07; West LA won the SoCal team title; State meet 400-1^st 52.69, 200-1^st 23.69

 1982 USA Nationals: 400-meter champion-52.68 

John Powell

American River CC / San Jose State

Four-time Olympian, former world record-holder

From 6th in state to international icon in the event

                                                           Powell is a throwing legend, he got his start at the American River College.

John Powell worked his way from sixth place in the ’67 state cc meet to making four Olympic teams and setting world and American records in the event.  Patience, determination, belief, constant analysis of his event, and tenacity-that was John Powell.

American River: Powell threw 160-4 ½” for 6th in the ’67 state meet. He was 4th in the NorCal Finals.Al Baeta was Powell’s coach at American River.

San Jose State-1968: NCAA-11^th168-8; AAU Nationals-16^th175-1;1969: NCAA-4th 183-7; AAU Nationals-8^th187-11. 

’72 Munich Olympics: 4^th 206-1(qualifying 194-6 ½)

 1975:*World record 226-8; Pan Am Games Champion

 ’76 Montreal Olympics: 3^rd 215-6

’80 Olympic Trials: 2^nd 223-1; ’80 Moscow Olympics: USA did not send a team.

’83 USA/East Germany Dual: 1^st 218-4

1984-Personal best:233-9

’84 Olympic Trials:1^st 220-3;’84 Los Angeles Olympics:3^rd214-9

 ’87 World Cup: 2^nd 217-3(40-years old at the time)

 USA National Championships: 1974, 1975, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

 Honors: Powell made the front cover of Track & Field News in June 1975. He is a member of the California Community College’s Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Dan Ripley

Cypress / San Jose State 

From state champion to indoor world records

Cypress-1973: State Champion 16-0 (Cypress no longer has a t&f program-it is in the same district as Fullerton College.)

San Jose State: 1975-Saskatchewan Indoor meet: Ripley had cleared 17-6 in practice before traveling to Canada. Ripley ended up the surprise of the meet with a 17-9 ½ winning vault that set a Canadian indoor all-comers record. Weeks later at the

 Los Angeles Indoor Games (Sports Arena) Ripley set the world indoor record at 18-½.

1976-Indoors-New York City: 18-3 ¼ new world indoor mark; 1976 USA Olympic Trials: no height

1978 Outdoor Nationals-1^st17-8

1980 Olympic Trials: 2^nd tie 18-2½

1982 Outdoor Nationals-1^st18-9½ *personal best

Indoor National Championships: 1979, 1981

1986 USSR/ USA Indoor Meet (7^th in the series): 18-5½ world indoor record  

USA Rankings: ’75-2^nd ;’76-3^rd; ’77-3^rd; ’78-2^nd; ’79-2^nd; ’80-4^th; ’81-9^th; ’82-3^rd; ’83-5^th; ’84-8^th

Honors: T&F News Cover-April 1979

Coaching career: As a community college coach Ripley also left a legacy. At Mt. SAC his women’s team won the 1986 state track and field team title, at Long Beach CC Ripley’s women won three more state team titles in 1995-96, 1999

James Robinson

 Laney CC / UC Berkeley

Two state titles, two *national records, seven USA titles

Two-time Olympian, 1:43.92 in ’84

Laney CC: 1973: 880-yard state champion at 1:48.0 *national record; Robinson lowered the state meet record by 1.5 seconds-a mark that stood until four-time Olympian Johnny Gray (Santa Monica CC) ran 1:47.44 in 1980.  1974: State champion-1:49.2. After the JC season Robinson lowered the *national JC 800-meter record with a 1:45.7 on UCLA’s track (6/22/74);  AAU Nationals-3^rd 1:45.7.

 UC Berkeley: Robinson emerged into the national spotlight winning the 1976 USA

800-1:46.63. He also won consecutive PAC-8 titles in ’75-76.

’76 Trials/ Olympics: 2^nd-1:45.9 ’76 Olympics: 5^th non-qualifying semis-1:46.4

*Post collegiate: Robinson never won an Olympic Trial race or a USA indoor title, but in the USA national outdoors he shined-seven titles between1976-84.

’80 Olympic Trials: 2^nd -1:45.58

’83 European Circuit: France-2^nd 1:44.47, Belgium-1^st 1:44.32,

USA National Titles: 1977-82, 1984 (Three of the wins were under 1:46.0)

 USA Rankings: ’75-2^nd;’76-3^rd; ’77-3^rd; ’78-2^nd; ’79-2^nd; ’80-4^th; ’81-9^th; ’82-3^rd; ’83-5^th; ’84-8^th

 World rankings: 1978-4^th; 1979-3^rd; 1980-5^th; 1981-2^nd; 1982-3^rd; 1983-6^th; 1984-9^th

She knows!

                         Carol Lewis, although not as celebrated as her brother Carl, was an accomplished athlete.

   She’s not just a talking head … During the Olympic Trials / Olympic Games  television coverage (go to Eugene 08 website for details) Carol Lewis will be doing commentary and interviews for NBC. She has some creditability. She won four consecutive Mt. SAC Relays long jump titles in the mid-80s with a best of 22’10 ½.

    Lewis’world rankings in the long jump were 4th in ‘82; 3rd in ‘83; 7th in ‘85; 8th in’ 86.Yes, she is the sister of Carl Lewis, the legendary sprinter-long jumper of world, Olympic records.

World records at the Trials

There have been many world records equaled or set at the USA Olympic Trials. Our California community college alumni left their mark on the world lists as follows:

         Eddie Hart ran a 9.9 100 meters at the Olympic trials to set a world record.

1936 –HJ-Cornelius Johnson (Compton) 6-9 ¾” tie

1956 –HJ-Charles Dumas (Compton) 7-0 ½” (first 7-ft. jump)

1960-200-Ray Norton (Oakland) 20.5 equaled WR

1968-400-Lee Evans (San Jose) 44.0

1968-IH-Geoff Vanderstock (Mt. SAC) 48.8

1968-PV-Bob Seagren (Mt. SAC) 17-9

1972-100-Eddie Hart (Contra Costa) 9.9 equaled WR

1972-PV-Bob Seagren (Mt.SAC) 18-5 ¾”

A Sad Trials for Cali JC sprinter

Houston McTear

Baker HS, Fla. / Santa Monica CC / Cerritos CC / Muhammed Ali TC

Florida prep sensation loses spot due to injury

                                                                                   Houston McTear, is considered by many knowledgeable track coaches and fans as one of the most talented sprinters the United States ever produced.

Baker HS: 1975: USA Jr. Championship: 10.2-1^st place, 10.0 in a heatfor a world, American, national high school record; 10.0-meters- Siena,Italy-(7/16/75) 1976 Indoors: High School national records: 5.1-50yards, 5.9 twice over 60yards

’76 Olympic Trials: McTear proved his was real finishing second in 10.16m for a high school national record. He suffered a hamstring injury in the race and was replaced on the team by Texas high school sensation Johnny Jones.

1977-Santa Monica: 10:13-national JC mark –Cologne, Germany       (2^nd fastest in world at the time)

1978-Cerritos: South Coast Conference title/*national  record-10.0 at Santa Ana College;

*McTear appeared on the April 1978 T&F News front cover

False starts

Editor’s error: The late Jim McKay did his first ABC-TV Wide World of Sports program from the Penn Relays in Franklin Field, Philadelphia in 1961. The USA/USSR dual meets began in 1958 and alternated annually between the countries.                       

If you have any questions, comments, corrections, or contributions to Knuth's Corner, we encourage you to email Coach Knuth at: knuthfam@hotmail.com
 

ABOUT COACH LARRY KNUTH

Larry Knuth is one of the most respected coaches in California and  has been involved in track & field for over forty years with extensive time spent at the California Community College level, serving as a coach at Palomar, Pasadena, Glendale, Fullerton, Saddleback,  Rio Hondo and Orange Coast Community Colleges.  This past spring, for his great contributions to our sport, Coach Knuth was elected to the the California Community College Track & Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame.
 

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