A blind finish… “I had looked forward to the 440 because Ron Freeman had accepted an invitation, but the race was one of the weirdest I’ve ever run. I had drawn an outside lane. As we started into the final turn, I could feel myself straining to lift my legs, and I closed my eyes as I came off the final turn to summon as much drive as I could into the stretch. I didn’t open my eyes until I felt the finish line string brush across my chest. I turned and didn’t spot anyone ahead of me or alongside of me, so I thought that I had won the race, until I realized where I was running-four lanes in from where I was supposed to be!  I had wandered across the track, a clear violation of the rules.”

-My Race Be Won by Vincent Matthews, Charterhouse, 1974 (Matthews was the 1972 Olympic Champion at 400- meters.)

                                  Vince Matthews, (right) had some unique race experiences.

BC Stadium-a historic venue

Bakersfield College’s Memorial Stadium will host this year’s Southern California Community College Prelims and Championships. Consider it an honor to compete there. BC hosted the 1956, 1958, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1973, and 1974 National AAU Championships (yesteryear’s USA championship meet). In addition the 1979 USA/USSR junior dual meet was held there, as were 13 state community college meets and five state high school championships. World, American, national prep and community college records have been set there.  

1981: historic state high jump competition

1. Milton Goode …Alameda …7-5 ¼” …Still-standing national, state meet record

2. Tyke Peacock …Modesto …7-4 ¼”

3. Mel Baker … Long Beach … 7-2 ¼”

4. Brian Stanton …Long Beach …7- 2 ¼” (won ’81 So Cal at 7-4)

5. Barry Usell … Merced … 7-0

6. Joe Hicks … Hartnell … 6-10

SoCal Championship History-Epic Marks

Women …

’78-4:19.2, 2:06.8, double-meet records-Ruth Caldwell Wysocki, Citrus                                                                                      

’79-HJ national record -Phyllis Bluntson, El Camino, High Jump 6-0

’81 SoCal-Impressive Meet! …LJ-21-0 ½”, 13.81-HH, 52.62 (national record)-400, 24.04-200, 2:09.63-800, 47-10 ½”-SP, 9:53.56-3k-meet record

’82-Gwen Gardner, WestLA …400-53.14, 100-12.07-2^nd, 200- 23.78 (meet record)

… 167-11 javlein-meet record, 9ft. improvement -Barbara Moro, Fullerton…

1600-meter relay -Cerritos-3:50.92 to obliterate Ventura’s 3:58.6 record.

’84-Super Sprints! … Zelda Johnson , Mt.SAC …11.58, 23.35-meet records …

46.08 meet record relay by El Camino.

’85-Mayberry leads EC to title …Myra Mayberry goes 11.84, 23.94 and runs on both winning relays… 1600-relay, 3:43.85- meet record ( 10-second win margin)

’86-The Queen: Sylvia Mosqueda …the Triple:  4:32.50, 2:09.0, 16:21.7- national record … a FAST second place: Kathy Kiernan, Orange Coast … wins 3k-9:50.79, comes back with a 16:50.4 for second to Mosqueda’s national record.

’88-1500/800 …Kathy Kreiger, Cuesta…4:33.56-prelims; double win: 4:34.96,   2:11.45

’89- 4:30.98, 9:53.32-3k double win -Krieger, Cuesta …LaShawn Simmons, Mt. SAC ….11.93, 13.99-hurdles, 20-6 LJ,  plus 4x1 relay

 ’92-National record 11.52 (So Cal prelims) …Ada Hay, Santa Monica 

*SoCal records after ’92 unavailable-contributions, corrections encouraged …

Men …

’38-Pasadena’s Jackie Robinson, future baseball legend, broad jumps 25-6 ½” for national record … also …20.6 straightaway 220-yards, national record …Clyde Jeffrey (Riverside), Wilbur Miller, Compton-Jeffrey got the win, record.

’39-4:21.0 mile …by Bobby Madrid, Pasadena

’54-14.4-HH, 23.4 -220-yard low hurdles-straightaway …meet records by Lionel Daniels, Compton

’56-47.2 one turn 440 …Willie Atterberry, Compton

’57-9.4 100-yards, 23.0 220-yard low hurdles-both national, meet records-Willie White, LA Harbor …Shot put national record, 54-3 byHomer Robertson, San Bernardino Valley …168-6 ¼” discus national record- Jerome Jennings, Compton

 ’61-4:09.2 mile, meet record - LeRoy Neal, Fullerton

’63-Two 7-0 HJ’ers… tie by John Rambo, LongBeach and Otis Burrell, LA Valley

…  Rambo wins on fewer misses.

’64-14.0-HH meet record …George Greenwood, San Bernardino Valley

’65-16-3 pole vault record by Bob Seagren, Mt.SAC-nearly two feet above previous mark! …TJ meet record-51-4 ¾” … Mike Woods, East LA

’67-Bob Hansen, LA Pierce …1:49.3, anchors Pierce’s 3:10.4 national record relay

’69-52.0 Intermediate hurdle mark…JimSeymour, Golden West                                                               

’71-13.5 120-yard HH… national record, Charles Rich, LA Southwest…47.0-440-yards meet record by Ron Gaddis, LAPierce

’73-220-4 javelin record by Keith Goldie, Chaffey

’75-4:05.4 mile record-Terry Cotton, Grossmont

’76-Discus mark goes-189-10-prelims … Marcus Gordien, Mt. SAC

’77-17-4 PV National Record-prelims…Charley Brown, El Camino… 243-9 javelin meet record-LucLaPierre, Palomar

 ’78-LongJump … 25-11 ½” meet record-Kenny Hays, Pasadena … 10k- 30:12.1-meet record …Kevin Burkin, LA Valley

’79-Steve Ortiz, Grossmont-wow! …double win: 3:45.73,meet record, 14:20-5k …

Steeplechase dual…9:02.3-Mark Lewis, Glendale, 9:04.4-CarmeloRios, Long Beach

’80-1:48.72-800, meet record …Johnny Gray, Santa Monica …Shot put, 60-6, Joe Staub-Glendale

’82-49.88 IH National Record …Greg Johnson, Mt. SAC ...1500/800 double: 3:48.96, 1:48.95-Sandy Chapman, Mt. SAC …45.48 400-meters, meet record- Michael Turner, Pasadena …Hank Kraychir, Long Beach  KO’s Records …64-7 ½”-old mark was 60-6, he wins shot put by 9ft.! …183-9 discus-he wins by 20ft.! … TJ-Quality! …All six jumpers over 49-0 (from 49-11 ½” to 49-2) …

13:59.2-5000…Mark Ruelas, Citrus (still-standing American 5k community college mark)

’84-TJ: 53-6 by Stan Oporski, Poland/Moorpark

’85-Taft Sprint Depth-Extraordinary! …Taft goes 2,3,4,5 in 100(from 10.52 to 10:59) … in 200 Taft goes1-4... 20.8 to 21.14 …Taft breaks 400-meter relay national record with 39.47… Hurdle double …Aaron Wallace, Long Beach …14.15-HH, 51.37-IH 

’86 … The fastest SoCal 800?

1. 1:47.62 (set national record ) … Lorenzo Brown-Mira Costa

2. 1:48.77 … Roland Weedon-Long Beach

3. 1:48.88 … Robert Gonzales-Long Beach

4. 1:49.39 … Ray Griffin-Taft

1986 So Cal 10,000 …QUALITY!

1. 30:33.4-Tracy Garrison-Taft(also won 5k-14:13.16)

2. 30:37.9-Juan Naranjo-Grossmont

3. 30:38.2-Marco Ochoa-Santa Ana

4. 30:45.7-Adolfo Garcia-Pasadena

5. 30:52.8-Brock Regan-Mt. SAC

6. 30:53.2-Angel Silva-Ventura

’86-HJ, 7-4 meet record … Dennis Lewis, Long Beach

’88-200: Taft goes 1,3,4,5!! … Harlan Davis, Taft-20.34, followed by:

 20.64-Tobin, PCC; 20.85-McCree, Taft; 20.94-Goodlaw, Taft; 21.06-Bacon, Taft;

 21.08-Etheridge, PCC

 ’89-Super 200 field: James Andrews-Riverside, 20.45 followed by 20.64, 20.68, 20.91

… 1500, 5k double by Nourddine Morceli-Algeria/Riverside -3:44.06 (8-second win margin), 14:03.10 (25-second win margin)

’97-National record 44.52 by TyreeWashington, San Bernardino Valley

*SoCalFinals records after ’92 unavailable-contributions, corrections encouraged … 

knuthfam@hotmail.com

Donna Mayhew

Glendale CC /Arizona U.

15-years an elite thrower

1980 State champion, 167-6: state meet, national record

Arizona U.: School record: 171-5 … 5-13-83, Tucson, Ariz

Four USA titles: 189-1 in 1992; 206-7 in 1993; 193-4 in 1994; 194-1 in 1995

-research still in progress