Your first autograph...

[NotDutra5]

In the summer of '57 there was a quiz show on T.V. in the New York area titled "Happy Felton's It's a Hit." Felton did pre and post game TV shows for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In this show two groups got to compete against each other for the winnings. My day camp was competing for an electric typewriter. Major leage baseball players were the managers of each team. I was selected among eight others to represent our camp. Our manager was Roy Campanella, my favorite player (even though I wasn't interested in being a catcher). It was six months before his auto accident. I got to sit next to him for the entire "game." And of course I got his autograph. Wally Moon was then playing for the Cardinals and was other group's manager. I didn't even ask him for his autograph.

I was born in the winter of '57 and my father-in-law has often referenced Happy Felton and this show. Unfortunately my father-in-law state of mind currently is such that he has talked about going to a Dodger game with me....at Ebbets Field.

Ebbets Field was torn down in 1960.

[tandfman]

Ebbets Field was torn down in 1960.

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In the past few years, I have gone a bit out of my way to drive around the perimeter of the old Ebbets Field. A very sad experience for an old Brooklyn Dodgers fan.

[Walt Murphy]

Bob Hayes--my company's Christmas party was being held at the same hotel where the Dallas Cowboys had just arrived prior to their game against the NY Giants. When I saw Hayes, I couldn't let the moment slip by. Sadly, that scrap of paper disappeared long ago.

[Atticus]

Bob Hayes

Of all the ones I really would have liked to have (and I even spoke to him once at the local meet named after him), that was he!

others (would have really liked) - Bob Seagren, Skeets, TSmith&JCarlos, Moses (the hurdler, not the tablets dude), Ryun, Pre, Matson, Oerter, Eaton . . .

My current (I hope) fave is C Taylor, with whom I spent two days in a small coterie of TJ coaches at a clinic, but was way too star-struck to ask for one. Nicest guy EVER.

[Vault-emort]

I was never one for autographs as a kid.

Ironically, much later I got Shirley Strickland to sign one for me at the Sydney Olympic venue in 2000. She seemed rather surprised lol.

We had a nice little chat which was even better than the autograph.

[scottmitchell74]

Great thread!

My Uncle was major on the Canton PD so he got me on the sidelines of a couple of HoF games.

On my one sideline pass I have Joe Montana, Jerry Rice. Nick Lowry (Dr. Toe, his Y was formed as goalposts with a little ball flying through) and Deron Cherry.

Very treasured!

[Davidokun]

Of all the ones I really would have liked to have (and I even spoke to him once at the local meet named after him), that was he!

others (would have really liked) - Bob Seagren, Skeets, TSmith&JCarlos, Moses (the hurdler, not the tablets dude), Ryun, Pre, Matson, Oerter, Eaton . . .

My current (I hope) fave is C Taylor, with whom I spent two days in a small coterie of TJ coaches at a clinic, but was way too star-struck to ask for one. Nicest guy EVER.

A few years ago, a retired former colleague who was cleaning out his garage gave me a box filled with this collection of back issues of T&FN. In the box I also found a program from the ITA meet held in the Los Angeles Sports Arena on March 24, 1973. I returned the program to him, but scanned it first. It contained one autograph:

Program copy.jpg

[Atticus]

It contained one autograph

Color me green with envy. My first event in HS was the PV in 1965. As a 5'0 / 98-lb (yes, really) specimen of runtery, I did not excel then, but as Seagren emerged at USC, he became my idol. I got better and went on the other events, but all the way through the Olympics and Superstars, he was still The Best.

[Davidokun]

Color me green with envy. My first event in HS was the PV in 1965. As a 5'0 / 98-lb (yes, really) specimen of runtery, I did not excel then, but as Seagren emerged at USC, he became my idol. I got better and went on the other events, but all the way through the Olympics and Superstars, he was still The Best.

The accompanying bio includes this detail, which I anticipate you will enjoy:

And in the future, Seagren is looking straight at 19 feet. He feels he has one of the two necessary ingredients to get over 19 feet — speed on the runway. The other — raising his hand grip on the pole — is in the offing. Though he holds around 15-1, he believes he's capable of holding at 15-7, as does Sweden's Isaksson.

[Atticus]

And in the future, Seagren is looking straight at 19 feet. He feels he has one of the two necessary ingredients to get over 19 feet — speed on the runway. The other — raising his hand grip on the pole — is in the offing. Though he holds around 15-1, he believes he's capable of holding at 15-7, as does Sweden's Isaksson

.

I would have believed that in a heartbeat! When I found out that he also ran the 400H (my event in college, at a husky 6'/162), I knew I picked the right guy to adulate.
BTW, my second idol, starting in 1972, was a . . . person . . . named Bruce Jenner.

[lonewolf]

I have been in close proximity to many notable/celebrity athletes in the last forty years, usually as an official. I was/am not inclined to ask for autographs and did/do not think it was appropriate at the time. I have come to know some as they retired or moved on to coaching but I am still not an autograph seeker.

[cladthin]

In order of date signed:1)Denny McLain 2)Tommy Nobis 3)Al Oerter

[Chicago]

I got Bob Seagren's autograph at the 1992 Olympic Trials. I mentioned to him that I had just seen him in the movie Visions of Eight. He asked where I saw the movie (on TV in Chicago), but did not seem pleased.

I also got Dan O'Brien's autograph at a trade show in the 1990s. I asked him what his workout was that day and he said that he never trains on days when he travels.

[Merner521]

I'm not really an autograph guy. I do remember my first one though (not track related, sorry). I was at a scholastic chess tournament back in grade school and apparently a grandmaster was in attendance and a lot of people were going to get their boards (those vinyl roll-up ones) autographed. I still have the board somewhere in the house anyway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmar_Mednis yeah, that's pretty random, but maybe the only time I've asked someone for the autograph (not counting sending people paperwork to sign as part of my job, I guess) and I didn't even really know who he was!

For track people, I don't think i ever asked for an autograph, but on a couple of occasions, i've just had to approach someone i saw at a meet. One of which was when I was in college and competing at the Drake Relays and Jeff Hartwig happened to be on the infield (he was competing there the next day, I think). I walked over and introduced myself, just telling him that I admired his vaulting career and...uh...I don't know what else I said. I do remember that when he competed he was unashamed to be wearing a heavy parka and beefy winter gloves between jumps. It was cold that day and staying warm is important, kids! Fast forward over a decade later and i'm working in a town where they just happen to make some of the best vaulting poles out there. A colleague of mine who knows i'm a former vaulter and avid fan has a friend who works at that sports equipment company (which J.H. still was some kind of brand ambassador for or something similar) gives me a "pole stub" signed by JH. Pretty neat. I've got that proudly displayed in my "man cave" room in my basement.

[J Rorick]

My first was Glenn Davis at the 1958 AAU-Bakersfield @ age 11. My favorites are Jim Ryun & Bob Beamon on a HS meet program (1965 Golden West Inv.). It also includes autograph of 800m winner Clark Mitchell (1:49.3y in 1965 - still on HST all-time top 25 after 56+ years).