Mt. SAC’s Historic Evening …50 years ago!

Nothing catapaulted Mt. SAC, located in tiny Walnut, California, onto the international track and field stage more than the August 12, 1960 American teams’ preparation meet for the Rome Olympics.  (The state-of-the-art stadium was completed in 1959 for the inaugural Mt. SAC Relays.)

  The 8,650 track and field fans that came to the one year old stadium (now named after Hilmer Lodge, former Mt. SAC coach who made the site a reality) that evening-August 12, 1960-saw a one-of-a-kind meet…a meet that had never been equaled on American soil. Six world and four additional American records were broken.

    Raymond Lodge,track expert (and Hilmer’s son) who witnessed the meet, reflected, “The marks in seven events -hammer, shot, long jump, discus, high jump, 100 meters and 110 meter hurdles -would have won gold in Rome. Also, I could be wrong, but I think the 45.5 400 by Glenn Davis was the fastest sea level mark (Lou Jones world mark, 45.2, was set at altitude).”

     The first record was epic. Ralph Boston, a 21-year-old Tennessee A&I student, broke the oldest record on the books, Jesse Owens' long jump mark of 26 feet, 8¼ inches set at the 1935 Big Ten meet at the University of Michigan. Before his record leap of 26-11¼, Boston spiked himself in the leg, incurring a wound requiring three stitches. However, Boston cleared 26 feet on four of his six jumps, something no one--including Owens--had ever done.

 Bob McGuire, former Mt. SAC distance runner, was also fortunate to have attended the meet and remembered Boston’s historic series, “I was lucky enough (to have been there).  One amazing aspect was Boston sitting all the way back on an early jump, maybe his first, where his hands behind him measured at 23-10 ½, an omen of sorts as to what might be coming.”

      And that was just the beginning: Kansas' Bill Nieder then threw the shotput 65-10, bettering his own pending mark of 65-7; Harold Connolly, the 1956 Olympic champion, cracked the 70 meter mark in the hammer throw (230-9); Two more Americans tied world records: sprinter Dave Sime-10.1 100 meters and Rink Babka (Menlo JC/USC) with a 196-6½ discus throw;

High jumper John Thomas broke the listed world high jump mark with a 7-2 leap, but he already had a 7-3 3/4 jump pending, from the USA  Olympic Trials at Stanford earlier in the summe.

On the track, the talented mile relay team of Eddie Southern, Earl Young, Otis Davis and Jack Yerman set a new world mark of 3:05.6.  Additional American records set that evening included Dave Sime 100m - 10.1, Lee Calhoun and Willie May 110HH - 13.4,  and Dyrol Burleson 1500 -3:41.3 and Bob Soth 6 mile - 28:56.0.

"Word spread around the world".  Walnut was in the global wire services and immediately earned a place on the world map with cities like Zurich and Oslo.  "Mt. SAC emerged from being a regional track powerhouse and the Mt. SAC Relays, to the location where sports history was made that surreal night in 1960", Lodge said.

Some fact extracted from LA Times article by Earl Gustkey - Augus 12th, 1999

CCC milers contribute to American record…  In 1984 an Athletics West T&F Club quartet of Dan Aldridge 4:03.4, Doug Padilla (Chabot/BYU) 4:04.7,

Tom Smith (Chabot/Colorado St.) 4:01.9, Chuck Aragon 3:58.6) set an *American Record of 16:08.54 for the 4-mile relay in Eugene, Oregon.

 –T&F News archives

ALL-TIME BOYS STATE
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2009-10 - Robert Woods, Gardena Serra (football, track)
2008-09 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic (football, baseball)
2007-08 - German Fernandez, Riverbank (cross country, track)
2006-07 - Mike Stanton, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (football, basketball, baseball)
2005-06 - Chase Budinger, Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (basketball, volleyball)
2004-05 - Drew Shiller, Burlingame (football, basketball, baseball)
2003-04 - Kenny O'Neal, Oakland Skyline (football, track)
2002-03 - Steve Smith, Woodland Hills Taft (football, basketball, track)
2001-02 - Aaron Piersol, Newport Beach Newport Harbor (swimming)
2000-01 - Antwon Guidry, San Jose Leigh (football, basketball, track)
1999-00 - D.J. Williams, Concord De La Salle (football, track)
1998-99 - Chris Lewis, Long Beach Poly (football, volleyball)
1997-98 - C.C. Sabathia, Vallejo (football, basketball, baseball)
1996-97 - Ken-Yon Rambo, Long Beach Poly (football, track)
1995-96 - Chris Claiborne, Riverside J.W. North (football, basketball)
1994-95 - Eric Guerrero, San Jose Independence (wrestling)
1993-94 - McKay Christensen, Fresno Clovis West (football, baseball)
1992-93 - Calvin Harrison, Salinas North Salinas (track, basketball)…Hartnell CC
1991-92 - Jason Kidd, Alameda St. Joseph (basketball, baseball)
1990-91 - Rob Johnson, El Toro (football, basketball, baseball)
1989-90 - Ryan Hancock, Cupertino Monta Vista (football, baseball)
1988-89 - Lorenzo Neal, Lemoore (football, wrestling)
1987-88 - Adam Keefe, Irvine Woodbridge (basketball, volleyball)
1986-87 - LeRon Ellis, Santa Ana Mater Dei (water polo, basketball, track)
1985-86 - Brian Johnson, Oakland Skyline (football, baseball)
1984-85 - George Porter, Lompoc Cabrillo (basketball, track)
1983-84 - John Williams, L. A. Crenshaw (basketball)
1982-83 - Mike Smith, Hacienda Heights Los Altos (football, basketball, volleyball)
1981-82 - Jim McCullough, Hemet (football, wrestling)
1980-81 - Kevin Willhite, Rancho Cordova (football, track)
1979-80 - Darryl Strawberry, L.A. Crenshaw (basketball, baseball)
1978-79 - John Elway, Granada Hills (football, baseball)
1977-78 - Jesse Vasallo, Mission Viejo (swimming)
1976-77 - Brian Goodell, Mission Viejo (swimming)
1975-76 - Greg Louganis, El Cajon Valhalla & Santa Ana (diving)
1974-75 - Bill Cartwright, Elk Grove (basketball)
1973-74 - Tim Shaw, Long Beach Wilson (water polo, swimming)
1972-73 - Lonnie Shelton, Bakersfield Foothill (football, track)
1971-72 - Scott McGregor, El Segundo (baseball)
1970-71 - Anthony Davis, San Fernando (football, baseball)
1969-70 - James McAlister, Pasadena Blair (football, track)
1968-69 - Jeff Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson (football, baseball)
1967-68 - Mark Spitz, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming)
1966-67 - Mickey Cureton, Compton Centennial (football)
1965-66 - Tim Danielson, Chula Vista (track)
1964-65 - Paul Wilson, Downey Warren (track)
1963-64 - Don Schollander, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming)
1962-63 - Tommie Smith, Lemoore (football, basketball, track)
1961-62 - Forrest Beaty, Glendale Hoover (track)
1960-61 - Ulis Williams, Compton (track)
1959-60 - Dennis Ralston, Bakersfield (tennis)
1958-59 - Dale Story, Orange HS (track)…Santa Ana JC
1957-58 - Willie Davis, L.A. Roosevelt (basketball, baseball, track)
1956-57 - Bill Kilmer, Azusa Citrus (football, basketball, baseball)
1955-56 - Fred Lacour, S.F. St. Ignatius (basketball)
1954-55 - Dick Bass, Vallejo (football)
1953-54 - Don Bowden, San Jose Lincoln (track)
1952-53 - Ronnie Knox, Santa Monica (football)
1951-52 - Marty Keough, Pomona (football, basketball, baseball)
1950-51 - Charlie Powell, San Diego (football, baseball)
1949-50 - Lang Stanley, L.A. Jefferson (track)
1948-49 - John Henry Johnson, Pittsburg (football, basketball, track)
1947-48 - Bob Mathias, Tulare (football, track)
1946-47 - Bill McColl, San Diego Hoover (football, basketball, baseball)
1945-46 - George Stanich, Sacramento (basketball, baseball, track)
1944-45 - Jackie Jensen, Oakland (football, baseball)
1943-44 - Bill Sharman, Porterville (football, basketball, baseball)
1942-43 - Glenn Davis, La Verne Bonita (football, baseball)
1941-42 - Irv Noren, Pasadena (basketball, baseball)
1940-41 - Tommie Fears, Los Angeles Manual Arts (football)
1939-40 - Howie Dallmar, San Francisco Lowell (basketball, baseball)
1938-39 - Jim Jurkovich, Fresno (football, track)
1937-38 - Frankie Albert, Glendale (football, baseball, tennis)
1936-37 - Jackie Robinson, Pasadena Muir (football, basketball, baseball)…Pasadena CC
1935-36 - Bobby Doerr, Los Angeles Fremont (pro baseball)
1934-35 - Ted Williams, San Diego Hoover (baseball)
1933-34 - Hank Luisetti, San Francisco Galileo (basketball)
1932-33 - Don Budge, Oakland University (tennis)
1931-32 - Corney Johnson, Los Angeles (track)…Compton College
1930-31 - Frank Sobrero, Oakland (football, basketball, baseball)