Sad news out of Texas

[BretB]

Ask anyone over the age of 40 in Texas what, in their opion, was the greatest high school race of all time, and almost unanimously they will say Johnny "Lam" Jones' 4x4 anchor at the state meet that rallied Lampasas from last -- many claim from 40 meters back -- to first. A few months later Lam won relay gold in Montreal.

He has cancer

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/auto/epaper/editions/wednesday/sports_34c45bce7625513900d5.html

[tafnut]

Very sad news. I while back, there was a thread about the greatest schoolboy sprinter and he was my pick. HUGE talent.

[lonewolf49]

Doesn't seem possible it has been thiry years since Johnny"Lam" Jones (to distinguish him from Johnny "Ham" Jones, another speed merchant ) were burning up the track.

I saw that 4x4. I was living in Texas and never missed the Texas Relays and the state meet. In my memory, he was close to 40 yards down on the anchor. I still get goosebumps when I remember how he burned the backstretch, caught the tail enders by the 330 and seemingly never slowed down.
Texas has an all finals, no prelims, format to qualify for state. The top two places from each of four regions go to state. As a result ,if one region is loaded, the best eight teams may not be there but still, these were not just some kids out of the hallway he was smoking

[trackstar]

Here's a much longer version of that article published today. (Note: this link will probably expire one week after this posting.): http://www.statesman.com/sports/content ... TUWUXUTUZT[UTUWU_U]UZUcUZUcTYWYWZV&urcm=y

[einnod23]

Prayers are for ya, Johnny Lam. From a track and Jet fan!!!!!!

[trackstar]

Lockhart and my high school, Rockdale, often met up in sports competitions back then. This was published this week in my hometown newspaper, the Rockdale Reporter (www.rockdalereporter.com), by their sports columnist:

Thinking about Lam
?Although he is obviously not from Rockdale, Johnny Lam Jones is a name that is more than familiar with sports fans in this area. It was revealed last week that Lam has cancer and has started treatments in the hospital.
?I have talked to Lam many times over the years, the last time was last year at a Texas Relays party and he asked me about Ray Locklin, Odis Mack and Martin Stroman like he always does. “We just couldn’t beat you guys from Rockdale,” he grumbled.
?Whenever he came to town, the football stadium seemed a little fuller, the gym a little more packed.
?A sleeker athlete there never was and we faced him several times in the mid-seventies. The problem was, Lampasas never had anyone that could complement Lam, with the exception of 260-pound Gary Milligan who went on to play at Texas A&M. The Badgers were never on Rockdale’s level skill-wise.
?In 1974, Lam was held to 68 rushing yards in the Tigers 22-21 win. In 1975, he gained only 65 yards while Ray and Don Wesley combined for 294 in a 29-7 Tiger victory. On the basketball court, it wasn’t even that close. We usually pulled our starters after the first quarter.
?My senior year at the district track meet in Round Rock, Lam ran a 9.05 in the 100-yard dash. It was wind-aided, but impressive nonetheless. We enthusiastically approached him after the race to congratulate him on his feat and his attitude was, “oh yeah, that.”
?Always a soft-spoken person, he just wasn’t all that impressed with himself.
?I remember watching on television when he won his gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, a couple of months after high school graduation. I always felt like he represented all of us—those he played with and against.
?Here’s to a speedy recovery. And if anyone knows about speed, it’s Johnny Lam Jones.