Wilma saved indoor track in LA … When Al Franken, long-time director of over two dozen west coast indoor invitationals was asked to name his top ten most memorable athletes he listed Wilma Rudolph as number one.  Rudolph was the star of the ’60 Rome Olympics winning the 100 and 200 and anchoring the USA winning 400-meter relay. She also set world records that year in the 100, 200, and 4x 100 relay.
    She was the first African American woman awarded the Sullivan Award as America’s top amateur athlete of the year.
“ Her impact was amazing. We were sold out two weeks in advance (the post-Rome Olympics LA Times Indoor Games-1961), and still a tremendous additional mob without tickets showed up the night of the meet, fighting to get in (LA Sports Arena). Some tried to break down the doors. They were lined up everywhere just to get a look at her,” Franken said.

-“Ahead of their Time” by Lyn Votava, Runner’s World, June, 1993; John Hall’s Column, LA Times; Wide World of Sports (ABC-TV) 25th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition-1987

    The Bruins couldn’t deal with tiny Oxy … Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s alma mater, tiny Occidental College (Eagle Rock, Ca.), got its first taste of the national media in the 50s and 60s because of its track team. Imagine a school of less than 2000 students beating UCLA in the dual track meet for three consecutive years?
   Coach Jim Bush, left Fullerton College and the best JC team ever fielded in that era, and led the Oxy Tigers for three illustrious years. UCLA was convinced after the three losses and hired Bush who changed the face of college track. During the “happy days” of our sport Oxy’s athletes set world, American, and NCAA records.

Leno gets bored … “The really wonderful thing about the treadmill is being able to do two things at the same time. I love doing two things at the same time! I tried trail running, but I got five miles out there and the only thing to do was…run.” -Jay Leno, comedian/late night television host  
   -Runner’s World, 1994