Grand Street Boys

[hjsteve1.97]

This is not a trivia question.. it's an inquiry:

All the talk of the "old" Madison Square Garden and indoor track in the "old days" got me to thinking half-remembering a short-lived small track group, in the 1950's, called The Grand Street Boys. Think it had some big hitters, all black. NYAC was all white of course and I don't know if the NY Pioneers were around yet. Any NY old timers that can add information about The Grand Street Boys ?

[tandfman]

Re: Grand Street Boys

How does a relay team with Herb McKenley, andy Stanfield, George Rhode, and Mal Whitfield sound? That was the Grand Street Boys team for a season or two back in the early '50's.

[tandfman]

Re: Grand Street Boys

Rhoden, not Rhode. Typo. Sorry.

(Rhods is an island, and we know that no man is an island.)

[hjsteve1.97]

Re: Grand Street Boys

now THAT'S what I would call a relay team! They were GRAND all right.

Thanks for the info. I would bet they set, or could have set, an indoor WR in the mile relay without hardly trying..any info on that ?

[tandfman]

Re: Grand Street Boys

>Thanks for the info. I would bet they set, or could have set, an indoor WR in the mile relay without hardly trying..any info on that ?<

I think they did, but the details are more than 50 years old and is buried too far in the recesses of my brain to retrieve easily. I can look it up when I get home. (But then again, you probably can too.)

I do remember seeing them in the old Garden. They were very, very impressive. Whitfield was the greatest!

[hjsteve1.97]

Re: Grand Street Boys

>>Thanks for the info. I would bet they set, or could have set, an indoor WR in
>the mile relay without hardly trying..any info on that ?<

I think they did,
>but the details are more than 50 years old and is buried too far in the
>recesses of my brain to retrieve easily. I can look it up when I get home.
>(But then again, you probably can too.)

I do remember seeing them in the
>old Garden. They were very, very impressive. Whitfield was the greatest!

you're jogging my own memory ever-so-slightly.... I've got a 3:14-plus IWR rattling around in my head.....

[gh]

Re: Grand Street Boys

First sub-3:20 indoors is 3:17.8 by Penn in '31 (our very own Bill Carr anchoring!). From there through end of '50s:

3:17.2 Georgetown '42
3:16.9 New York Pioneers '57
3:16.0 Villanova '57
3:15.7 New York Pioneers '57

The last two were made on the same day, March 16; Villanova in Chicago, NYPC in NYC.

[hjsteve1.97]

Re: Grand Street Boys

>First sub-3:20 indoors is 3:17.8 by Penn in '31 (our very own Bill Carr
>anchoring!). From there through end of '50s:

3:17.2 Georgetown '42
3:16.9
>New York Pioneers '57
3:16.0 Villanova '57
3:15.7 New York Pioneers
>'57

The last two were made on the same day, March 16; Villanova in Chicago,
>NYPC in NYC.

>First sub-3:20 indoors is 3:17.8 by Penn in '31 (our very own Bill Carr
>anchoring!). From there through end of '50s:

3:17.2 Georgetown '42
3:16.9
>New York Pioneers '57
3:16.0 Villanova '57
3:15.7 New York Pioneers
>'57

The last two were made on the same day, March 16; Villanova in Chicago,
>NYPC in NYC.


So I guess my Grand Street Boys' "3:14plus" is just a figment of my imagination, but I'll read up on it all just the same. Thanks for the input Garry.

[dj]

Re: Grand Street Boys

3:17.2 Georgetown '42
3:16.9
>New York Pioneers '57
3:16.0 Villanova '57
3:15.7 New York Pioneers
>'57
=========
Trying to guess some of the runners on these teams:
Georgetown--Hugh Short?
NYPC--Reggie Pearman (he stuck around a long time)
Villanova--Charlie Jenkins anchor, Charlie Stead?, Ron Delany (surprisingly ran a leg on mile relays with some frequency)?, Ed Collymore?

[hjsteve1.97]

Re: Grand Street Boys

>3:17.2 Georgetown '42
3:16.9
>New York Pioneers '57
3:16.0 Villanova
>'57
3:15.7 New York Pioneers
>'57
=========
Trying to guess some of the
>runners on these teams:
Georgetown--Hugh Short?
NYPC--Reggie Pearman (he
>stuck around a long time)
Villanova--Charlie Jenkins anchor, Charlie Stead?,
>Ron Delany (surprisingly ran a leg on mile relays with some frequency)?, Ed
>Collymore?

Hey Satch, do you perhaps know any of those 50's NY Pioneer guys ? ( And do not say Dick Whitman, he was in the 60's. And THAT last name is a trivia name for anyone else out there other than Satch. )

[tandfman]

Re: Grand Street Boys

>>So I guess my Grand Street Boys' "3:14plus" is just a figment of my imagination,<

I'm not so sure. On March 21, 1953, the GSB ran 3:14.4 in Buffalo. I think it was recognized by the AAU at that time. It obviously couldn't have been an American Record because two of the legs were Jamaicans. And it couldn't have been a World Record because they had no World Indoor Records at the time. (And it couldn't today because of the mixed citizenship.) But it did happen. (No, I wasn't there.)

[hjsteve1.97]

Re: Grand Street Boys

>>>So I guess my Grand Street Boys' "3:14plus" is just a figment of my
>imagination,<

I'm not so sure. On March 21, 1953, the GSB ran 3:14.4 in
>Buffalo. I think it was recognized by the AAU at that time. It obviously
>couldn't have been an American Record because two of the legs were Jamaicans.
>And it couldn't have been a World Record because they had no World Indoor
>Records at the time. (And it couldn't today because of the mixed
>citizenship.) But it did happen. (No, I wasn't there.)

hey thanks, that's great info, maybe I still have a brain after all. Thanks again.

[gh]

Re: Grand Street Boys

Sorry for misleading you with my brainfart; didn't even stop to think that if I looked in an IAAF publication it would list only the "acceptable" WRs.

[satch400]

Re: Grand Street Boys

I think CHAS, STEAD WAS ALSO GOOD HJER . Collymore was great 2oo guy ,think NCAA champ.STAR for NOVA was FRANK BUDD.

[bf]

Re: Grand Street Boys

I remember GSB's Charlie Mays - and his close(1"?) foul of c.28'3 at '68 OG. Anyone recall if that jump was before Beamon's? If so, musta been frustrating to be so close being history's first 28-footer (especially since the rest of his LJ career was 'real good' but never 'historic'. And he was about 5'9? or less?