a little history, a little humor

A shoeless Bulldog! … “Within minutes of the start of the 1964 West Coast Relays Invitational 440-yard relay Sam Workman (Taft CC) of Fresno State could not locate his shoes. Borrow another runner’s shoes?  The problem was that not only were his feet small, but one foot was a size smaller than the other.  With a Bulldog posse scrambling we came up with the left foot shoe from one athlete and a close-as-we-could-get right foot shoe from another athlete-just in time for the race. Workman still ran his usual strong relay leg.”   -Larry Knuth, 44-years a Bulldog, and proud of it!                                                 

The way it used to be…

National JC Team Title (NJCAA):

1939-Compton

’40-LACC

’41-Sac City

’42-Sac City

’43-’45… no meet-WWII

’46-LACC

’47-Compton

’48-LACC

’49-Compton

’50-Compton

’51-Compton

1952-first California state meet title: LACC

1977-first women’s title-Santa Barbara CC 

 

1975-“The Tie”

Glendale, San Jose-32 points each

Lowest score in state meet history, first tie

    San Jose was without Millard Hampton, their injured star sprinter who went on to become the ’76 Olympic 200-meter silver medalist, yet they still racked up wins in the two sprints. San Jose’s Cecil Overstreet ran 9.4, Don Livers did 20.9 to win the 100-220-yard races. Glendale’s Steve LaRusch went 6-10 to win the high jump, teammate Rick Steele ran 51.3 for second in the intermediates, Lou Iacopetti finished 2nd in the shot put, 54-6.

                                 

   Glendale’s counter to San Jose’s Hampton story was super-talented freshman Bobby Thomas. He had a pending national record 3-mile time of 13:56 going into the meet, but he went out in 4:29, 9:09 only to fade to sixth place.

Glendale’s head coach was John Tansley and Bert Bonnano was San Jose’s head coach.

 

State meet history

*note the number of long-standing meet records 

Only men’s sprinter to win back-to-back state titles in 100, 200: Carlos Moore, Mt. SAC, 2003-4                                                            

Women’s 10k: Began  in 1996 …Orange Coast - 7 of the 11 champions

Men’s 10K: Began in 1976 …Grossmont won 5 of the first 7 races; Riverside won

6 of 7 races from1992-98. 

Women’s LJ: 18-year-old state meet  record-21-3 ½” by Sheila Nicks (Sequoias) and Christy Opara (Citrus)…1990

Men’s LJ: 30-year old state meet record-26-2 ¾” by Kenny Hays (Pasadena) -1978 … Mt. SAC has won 7 state titles 

First jumper over 24-0 in state meet: Bill Jackson -LA Harbor, 24-10 in 1958

First jumper over 25-0 in state meet: Dee Andrews-Long Beach, 25-0 in 1961

First jumper over 26-0 in state meet: Henry Hines –Sacramento (’69) 26-2 windaided, first non-wind aided jump: Kenny Hays –Pasadena (’78), 26-2 ¾”, current record

 

Women’s javelin:  ONLY two double winners: Arlene Mars (De Anza) ’77-78;

Vijitha Amerasekera (Mt. SAC) 1992-93 … 184-1 in ’92 

Men’s javelin:  first champion Jim Feeney-1971 (Fullerton) 209-0

Meet Record with old implement (pre-1986 throwers) …Luc LaPierre (Canadian/ Palomar) 1976-77 … 266-8

Current state meet javelin record is 15-years-old …Ken Teasley-1993 (Moorpark)

221-11

   *Moorpark has won 20 individual, men and women, state titles in the throwing events.

 

Men’s High Jump: 27-year-old state meet record: 7-5 ¼” by Milt Goode (Alamdea) in 1981.

First jumper to clear 7-0 in state meet: Max Lowe (Foothill) 1965, 7-0 ½”

Most state men’s titles: Long Beach-5   Pasadena–4 

Women’s Triple Jump … 22-year-old state meet record:

42-1 ½” by Renita Robinson (El Camino)

 First state champion- 1985 … Janis Diggs (Hartnell) 41-8 

Men’s Discus:  Bakersfield - 8 state titles (5 consecutive from ’92-96)

State meet discus firsts:

1st man over 160-0 …Jerome Jennings (Compton-’57)

1st man over 170-0 …Les Mills (Foothill/NewZealand Olympian)-’63)

1st man over 180-0 …Steve Fite (Chaffey-’65)

1st man over 190-0 …Dag Solhaug (Riverside-’91) 

Women’s Discus: 18-year-old state meet record:165-0 Tai Battle (Moorpark)-1988

 State meet discus firsts: Diana Clements (Saddleback) first thrower over 150-0 in ’83 (154-3); first over 160…  Grace Apiafi (Mt. SAC) 1990…160-9

Moorpark-four discus titles

*Moorpark has won 20 individual, men and women, state titles in the throwing events. 

Women’s shot put: 18-year-old record, 55-3 ¾” …Grace Apiafi-1990 (Mt.SAC)   (this is also the national record) …ONLY two women have thrown over 50 ft.: Dot Jones-1983 (Modesto) and Apiafi-1990

Men’s shot put …26-year-old record … 65-4, Hank Kraychir, Long Beach, 1982

Long Beach has nine titles

*Moorpark has won 20 individual, men and women, state titles in the throwing events. 

Men’s steeple:  first steeple included in state meet-1973 …winner Pat Phelan (American River)…American River -four champions, Riverside- five

1st runner in state meet under 9 minutes: Shannon Laird (Palomar) 1977-8:53.2, still the state meet record, a 31-year-old record 

4x1 Relay-Women: Long Beach CC, Mt. SAC - five titles each

4x1 Relay-Men: Merritt of Oakland won three consecutive titles (1969-71) in the “yards era”… in the “meters era” Long Beach CC has won 7total, Taft has won 6 

1500-men …NO ONE has run under 3:50 since 1996 … 

There were NO mile/three mile double winners in that era. 

 Men’s distance triples:

*ONLY man to win a 1500/mile and 880/800 and two mile/5k triple in state meet:

Neil Duggan (Britain/Hancock)

Neil Smart (Riverside) 1997…10k -31:25.82, Steeple -9:20.89, and 5k-15:00.55

Oscar Ogwaro (East LA) 2007 …10k, Steeple, 5k

RCC won five 1500 men’s titles in ten years, 1989-1998 

 Women state meet individual event triples:  

Charonda Williams (Laney-’07) -4 GOLD! … 100-11:56  200-23:53 Long Jump 19-4 ¾” and 400 Relay

Amy Thiel (Moorpark CC-2000) …Hammer (184-9, present state meet record), Shot put (49-0), Discus (157-8)

*Sylvia Mosqueda (East LA-’86) … 1500(4:18.10, current state meet record), 800, 5000(15:52.5-current state meet, national record) 

Women’s back-to-back state meet  double winners:

Ruth Caldwell Wysocki (Citrus)  mile, 880( 1978-79)

Latoya Polk (El Camino CC) 1500, 800 (1991-92) 

Men’s Pole Vault … 26-year-old state meet record, 17-6 by Ralph Preiman (Foothll) in 1982

1st over 14-0 … Pederson (Modesto) -1955

1st over 15-0 … Bob Seagren (Mt. SAC) -1965

1st over 16-0 … Dick Railsback (Pasadena), Dennis Phillips (San Mateo) –tied for first in 1966

1st over 17-0 … Del Miller (Cerritos) -1981 

1600-meter relays:

Men: 3:06.03-Sacramento CC … 14-year old mark

Men: LACC won first “yards” relay in 1951-3:25.0

first team under 3:15.0 –Fullerton JC, 1961 … fastest time in the state meet at 440-yards,

LA Southwest at 3:09.0 in 1974…Merritt won three consecutive 4x440 relays from 1969-71 … two teams have run under 3:07 for the 1600-meter relay: Pasadena,

1982-3:06.16, Sacramento, 1994-3:06.03, current state meet record, a 14 –year-old mark.                                            

Long Beach has won 7 titles, Taft has won 6 

Women 1600 relay: 24-year-old state meet record-3:37.73, El Camino, 1984

1st team under 3:50: San Jose in ’79 at 3:49.73

El Camino has won 8 titles, Long Beach has won 6