All Time Non Olympics 100 Meters

[Alcyallen]

Frankly, you do not know what you are talking about.

You ask what Mel did between 1964 and 1968.

He was in the Mekong Delta in 1967 fighting the Vietcong. I don't know if you have ever been there, but guess what. Not to many running tracks in the Mekong Delta on which to train, unless you count dodging bullets as sprint training.

Oh, and those poor college guys who missed out on the 1968 Mexico City Games because they had to get a job and couldn't train. Just which college guys are you talking about that missed out on making the probably greatest USA Olympic team ever.

How about this....


He joined the Army and served in the 82nd Airborne Division. While in the military, he began participating in athletics, where he displayed a talent for running.

The Army sent Pender to train for the Olympics, and he competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964. Afterward, he returned to the military, graduated from Officer Candidate School and was then deployed to Vietnam. While there,***** he was pulled to train for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.******


See that.....Army sent Pender to train for the Olympics 😉

[Alcyallen]

Mel Lattany was another decent non-Olympian. Also Andre Cason.

Actually Lattany did make the 80's team, but the boycott ruined that. Good one and Cason props!

[Trickstat]

Mel Lattany was another decent non-Olympian. Also Andre Cason.

[Alcyallen]

Just found out something new to me, which is always cool.

In his first high school track meet Bob Hayes won the 100, 200, 400, 800, long jump and high jump....damn!

Apparently he did come to Florida A&M to just play football no intentions of running track, had to be talked into it.

Have never seen a video of his running back days as a Rattler. Surprised the Cowboys didn't use him more carrying the ball.

[Alcyallen]

Frankly, you do not know what you are talking about.

You ask what Mel did between 1964 and 1968.

He was in the Mekong Delta in 1967 fighting the Vietcong. I don't know if you have ever been there, but guess what. Not to many running tracks in the Mekong Delta on which to train, unless you count dodging bullets as sprint training.

Oh, and those poor college guys who missed out on the 1968 Mexico City Games because they had to get a job and couldn't train. Just which college guys are you talking about that missed out on making the probably greatest USA Olympic team ever.

Pender was USA ranked in 65 and 67, so he must have been competing, right?

Gerry Ashworth, Trenton Jackson, Paul Drayton, Henry Carr, Richard Stebbins were our sprinters at the 64 Olympics, Carr/Jackson/Stebbins all got NFL looks, and we see none of them on our 68 team. What happened to Ashworth (Ivy Leaguer) Paul Drayton?

Hines won in 68, where was he in 72, he was another who tried pro football. As did Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

Today a sprinter who is Olympic caliber can make a living as a pro athlete. We obviously didn't have that in the 60's, after school........now what?

Check it out

http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Prof...&EventCode=MA1

As we see there he ran in our USA Nationals before the Olympic trials, so he had to have been training.

[Tuariki]

Ah....so he just walked out there and made the team no training....really? Then in 68 he once again just showed up and made another Olympic team. Wow!

My thing was being in the Army he wasn't like those college guys who had to get a job so there went track, Pender had a different situation.he could train he didn't need a job he had one.

I get this feeling he trained more than you are aware of, What did he do between 64 and 68?

In 1964 we had the USA Champs where he took 6th and the trials were he took third 3rd, so...hmmmm?

Also in1964 in March he ran 10.3 at Point-A-Pierre

See a 9,3 100 yards in Toronto in 1965

Think there is a little more to this than just showing up and making Olympic teams.

USA ranked number 8 in 1965, ranked 9th in 1967, so he was competing which means training.

You mentioned 1963 I show him competing in 1971, yep...Army He retired from the Army in 1976, spent over a decade running track, who does that?

Did have NFL offers, not sure how that would have worked.

He was running world records at indoor distances in his 30's, yep, thanks to the Army he could train.

Frankly, you do not know what you are talking about.

You ask what Mel did between 1964 and 1968.

He was in the Mekong Delta in 1967 fighting the Vietcong. I don't know if you have ever been there, but guess what. Not to many running tracks in the Mekong Delta on which to train, unless you count dodging bullets as sprint training.

Oh, and those poor college guys who missed out on the 1968 Mexico City Games because they had to get a job and couldn't train. Just which college guys are you talking about that missed out on making the probably greatest USA Olympic team ever.

[Alcyallen]

Not at all correct.

Mel had very litte track training prior to the 1964 Olympics. I believe his first ever track race was about 1963 in Okinawa while serving in the US Army when he was ordered to represent his battalion in a race against some Japanese sprinters. A year later he is competing in Tokyo.

He also had limited time training for 1968 Olympics as he was a platoon commander in the 101st serving on the Vietnam front line through to 1967 when he was ordered back to stateside to represent the Army in trying to qualify for Mexico City.

I think Mel was just born fast. I think he was probably capable of running 10 flat for the hundred yards before he started primary school.

I was at USMA West Point for 4 years when Mel and Charlie Greene were there.

Ah....so he just walked out there and made the team no training....really? Then in 68 he once again just showed up and made another Olympic team. Wow!

My thing was being in the Army he wasn't like those college guys who had to get a job so there went track, Pender had a different situation.he could train he didn't need a job he had one.

I get this feeling he trained more than you are aware of, What did he do between 64 and 68?

In 1964 we had the USA Champs where he took 6th and the trials were he took third 3rd, so...hmmmm?

Also in1964 in March he ran 10.3 at Point-A-Pierre

See a 9,3 100 yards in Toronto in 1965

Think there is a little more to this than just showing up and making Olympic teams.

USA ranked number 8 in 1965, ranked 9th in 1967, so he was competing which means training.

You mentioned 1963 I show him competing in 1971, yep...Army He retired from the Army in 1976, spent over a decade running track, who does that?

Did have NFL offers, not sure how that would have worked.

He was running world records at indoor distances in his 30's, yep, thanks to the Army he could train.

[Tuariki]

As you know Pender made two Olympics pretty much because he could train....Army.

Not at all correct.

Mel had very litte track training prior to the 1964 Olympics. I believe his first ever track race was about 1963 in Okinawa while serving in the US Army with the 82nd Airborne when he was ordered to represent his battalion in a race against some Japanese sprinters. A year later he is competing in Tokyo.

He also had limited time training for 1968 Olympics as he was a platoon commander in the 9th Infantry serving on the Vietnam front line through to 1967 when he was ordered back to stateside to represent the Army in trying to qualify for Mexico City.

I think Mel was just born fast. I think he was probably capable of running 10 flat for the hundred yards before he started primary school.

I was at USMA West Point for 4 years when Mel and Charlie Greene were there.

[Alcyallen]

[QUOTE=JC100;n1736277]I think the similar list of non-Americans would be fairly short. Top sprinters from smaller countries often got two or three shots at the Olympics so if they had a mishap at one then they would get another chance - e.g. Horacio Estevez (1964), Silvio Leonard (1976), James Gilkes (1976). In the US, the vast majority of contenders were college athletes, with only one shot at it in their careers, so you get more tragic stories. Mel Pender was an unusual exception, being in the Army.

Two non-American sprinters who never went but would have been minor medal chances were: Paul Nash (South Africa) and George McNeill (Scottish professional sprinter in the 1970s)
[/QUOTE
As you know Nash was one of the top 4/5 100m sprinters in the world in his day, very realistic to see him as a legit 100m medal threat in 1968. Too bad he never got his shot.

Really can't think of anyone else, not familar with George McNeil....fill me in.

As you know Pender made two Olympics pretty much because he could train....Army.

[JC100]

I think the similar list of non-Americans would be fairly short. Top sprinters from smaller countries often got two or three shots at the Olympics so if they had a mishap at one then they would get another chance - e.g. Horacio Estevez (1964), Silvio Leonard (1976), James Gilkes (1976). In the US, the vast majority of contenders were college athletes, with only one shot at it in their careers, so you get more tragic stories. Mel Pender was an unusual exception, being in the Army.

Two non-American sprinters who never went but would have been minor medal chances were: Paul Nash (South Africa) and George McNeill (Scottish professional sprinter in the 1970s)

[Alcyallen]

We had boycotts, injuries, some reason none of these great sprinters got their Olympic moment, which is sad.

lane

1.Eulace Peacock Temple...injuries did him in
2.Art Bragg Morgan State....he did run but pulled up in a heat....I think. Help!
3.Jim Golliday Northwestern....think the guy was hurt in both 52 and 56, one of the elite in those years.
4.Steve Williams San Diego State....injuries
5.Hal Davis Cal....no Olympics because of the war
6.Houston McTear Cerritos JC....injuries
7.Eddie Hart Cal.....total bummer
8.Stanley Floyd Auburn.....boycott....but still ended up number one ranked....huh???

Of all the number one ranked 100m sprinters none anymore obscure than 1965 George Anderson***. Apparently he came on after 1964 at Southern U winning our Nationals not sure what else he did to deserve a number one ranking. Would love to have seen those SWAC 4x1 battles with Texas Southern and Grambling all having great teams, the best of times for SWAC track.

Think I have the why's those above didn't have an Olympics, help me if I'm wrong. we can fix it.

Actually the first T&FN I ever saw had Anderson on the cover winning those Nationals so it must have been 1965. Stopped at a buddies house after track practice to grab a coke,laying there on his table the magazine. Had to talk his dad (our coach) into letting me cut out that little order form. Broke my heart when the paper mag stopped coming. Guess everyone owns a computer.

One of the highlights for me cruising around off the coast of Nam (navy) was my monthly T&FN, life was good.

*** Anderson was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, they sent him to a semi pro league the Omaha Mustangs where he stayed for seven seasons....huh???

A few others....

James Sanford
Ivory Crockett
Herb Washington...guy had an amazing start, the night Steve Williams ran his 9,1 WR(Fresno) he was trying to run him down. Quarrie also in the race.
Clancy Edwards
Ben Johnson Colombia 30's