All this talk about Clancy Edwards....

[Texas]

...got me thinking about....

I was born in Tulare but raised in Visalia which is about 30 miles east of Hanford. Back in the day there was the Thomas family out of Hanford, there was Ike who spent a lot of time in Visalia with some friends. Met him in a flag football game. Jewerl the oldest brother would end up playing football in the NFL , he was a LA Ram. Ken Thomas was the real star however. A powerful 5-8ish 210-15 pounder who like Jewerl ended up at San Jose State. He was a defensive back. As a sprinter he ran a 9.5 and took second at the state meet in 1978.

1 Michael Sanford Pasadena 09.85
2 Ken Thomas Hanford 09.93
3 Virgil Torrence Gardena 09.96
4 Dokie Williams El Camino 10.01
5 Wendle McNeal Oakland 10.03
6 Wallace Bernard Galileo 10.06

I know, I know....what does this have to do with Clancy Edwards? While at SJS, Thomas would beat Edwards in a 100 meters. Not sure this was his 10.0 flat 100m or not. So there's Ken Thomas running a 10.0 flat and beating Clancy Edwards yet he remains in the.."who?"

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted him as a running back. A knee injury took care of that idea and his athlectic career. What might have been...huh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

Clancy Edwards was a great sprinter, he however ran nothing close to a 9.85 or a 19.61 windy or not. To talk as if he was far superior to Leroy Burrell at 200 meters is rookie-ish. Burrell had more speed and if he can beat Michael Johnson, he can beat Clancy Edwards. No logical reason to think Edwards was the superior 200m man. None!

[paulthefan]

Burrell was in a different era altogther, Edwards was effectively running with the methods and means of a bygone era the last decade of which was the 70s. So your comparison is not helpful. Secondly going back to HS head to head stuff is truely rookie. We can all find a 5'6" inch guy that beat an eventual world best at 16 years of age. Tex you go to painstaking care to fashion, from your best assets, an achilles heel.

Having said that I think Burrell was a great great dash man, very very few top him in any era. Had he focused more on the 200 a case could be made.

[Texas]

Burrell was in a different era altogther, Edwards was effectively running with the methods and means of a bygone era the last decade of which was the 70s. So your comparison is not helpful. Secondly going back to HS head to head stuff is truely rookie. We can all find a 5'6" inch guy that beat a world best at 16 years of age. Tex you go to painstaking care to fashion, from your best assets, an achilles heel.

Try reading it again. Thomas beat Edwards with both being collegiates...ok? Leroy Burrell could win the SWC and beat Michael Johnson without being known as a 200m man. If you need to wander around in some fantasy.....why? Leroy Burrell was the superior sprinter, how can that even be debated? Like I mentioned somewhere down there, Edwards never broke a 20.03. I see Burrell running 19.8's "if" he'd ran the 200m seriously.

Now who was that 5-6 high schooler who beat a world best at 16?

[paulthefan]

Try reading it again. Thomas beat Edwards with both being collegiates...ok? Leroy Burrell could win the SWC and beat Michael Johnson without being known as a 200m man. If you need to wander around in some fantasy.....why? Leroy Burrell was the superior sprinter, how can that even be debated? Like I mentioned somewhere down there, Edwards never broke a 20.03. I see Burrell running 19.8's "if" he'd ran the 200m seriously.

Now who was that 5-6 high schooler who beat a world best at 16?

Repeat, as collegiate 200m guys go Edwards is superior. Burrell may have been the superior total sprint package with an obviously far far superior lifetime/professional sprint opus. That has no currency here, I am only looking at 200m NCAA accomplishments. Edwards is a monstor and wins. Now stop day dreaming and get serious.

[Texas]

Try reading it again. Thomas beat Edwards with both being collegiates...ok? Leroy Burrell could win the SWC and beat Michael Johnson without being known as a 200m man. If you need to wander around in some fantasy.....why? Leroy Burrell was the superior sprinter, how can that even be debated? Like I mentioned somewhere down there, Edwards never broke a 20.03. I see Burrell running 19.8's "if" he'd ran the 200m seriously.

Now who was that 5-6 high schooler who beat a world best at 16?

Repeat, as collegiate 200m guys go Edwards is superior. Burrell may have been the superior total sprint package with an obviously far far superior lifetime/professional sprint opus. That has no currency here, I am only looking at 200m NCAA accomplishments. Edwards is a monstor and wins. Now stop day dreaming and get serious.

You're missing the point. Of course Edwards accomplished more at the NCAA level..no duh! I'm talking about what might have been "if" Burrell had decided to give the 200m the same attention he did the 100m. This is a,,"what might have been"....you know kind of like a Rocky Marciano vs Muhammad Ali or what NFL team was the best? Ok?

[paulthefan]

You're missing the point. Of course Edwards accomplished more at the NCAA level..no duh! I'm talking about what might have been "if" Burrell had decided to give the 200m the same attention he did the 100m. This is a,,"what might have been"....you know kind of like a Rocky Marciano vs Muhammad Ali or what NFL team was the best? Ok?

I miss alot of points.. but at heart I am a contrarian and a fighter for the underdog, Edwards deserves some respect around here.

[Texas]

You're missing the point. Of course Edwards accomplished more at the NCAA level..no duh! I'm talking about what might have been "if" Burrell had decided to give the 200m the same attention he did the 100m. This is a,,"what might have been"....you know kind of like a Rocky Marciano vs Muhammad Ali or what NFL team was the best? Ok?

I miss alot of points.. but at heart I am a contrarian and a fighter for the underdog, Edwards deserves some respect around here.

I've got no reason to disrespect Clancy Edwards. Like I mentioned before, first saw him as a Cal Poly Mustang and thought...."damn!" That blocky look of his with that fluidity....cool! He's a Cali guy also :lol: I just know when a guy who is capable of a 9.85 100m and can beat Michael Johnson in a 200 is going to be superior at 200m to a guy unable to break 10.00/20.00 all things being equal.

Yes Clancy Edwards accomplished far more than Leroy Burrell as a 200m man. Could he have beaten Burrell in a 200m all things being equal? Ah...nope!

[eldrick]

Burrell was in a different era altogther, Edwards was effectively running with the methods and means of a bygone era the last decade of which was the 70s

i'm unaware of any seismic changes in methodologies between late '70s & late '80s/early '90s

care to enlighten us ?

[paulthefan]

i'm unaware of any seismic changes in methodologies between late '70s & late '80s/early '90s

care to enlighten us ?

didnt I already answer this question in a coincident thread, I think we all know why we cant start that discussion. We have reached a dead end.

Paulthefan has spoken and all things have been made equal: Edwards is the superior NCAA 200m man to Burrell.

[Texas]

i'm unaware of any seismic changes in methodologies between late '70s & late '80s/early '90s

care to enlighten us ?

didnt I already answer this question in a coincident thread, I think we all know why we cant start that discussion. We have reached a dead end.

Paulthefan has spoken and all things have been made equal: Edwards is the superior NCAA 200m man to Burrell.

Edwards having the better 200m NCAA career isn't the topic however. Who had the better 1976 Olympics, Hasley Crawford or Valery Borzov? Who was the faster sprinter? Who is better Richard Thompson or Asafa Powell? Who had the better 2008 Olympic final?

[rhymans]

Texas - could you enlighten us as to when and where Ken Thomas ran 10.0 - US lists give him the following progression -

1979 (age 19 - b.11Feb60) 10.2/10.36Aw
1980 10.36/10.31w

He has no 10.0 - legal or windy listed. Perhaps you're getting confused with other SJ sprinters who did run 10.0w - Ernest Lewis in 1978 or Virgil Torrence in 1982

If you have any detail about the 10.0 I'd be interested to see it.

[Bruce Kritzler]

What are those times (listed to .01) in the original post representing? They certainly didn't run them.

[Texas]

Texas - could you enlighten us as to when and where Ken Thomas ran 10.0 - US lists give him the following progression -

1979 (age 19 - b.11Feb60) 10.2/10.36Aw
1980 10.36/10.31w

He has no 10.0 - legal or windy listed. Perhaps you're getting confused with other SJ sprinters who did run 10.0w - Ernest Lewis in 1978 or Virgil Torrence in 1982

If you have any detail about the 10.0 I'd be interested to see it.

I don't blame you for be skeptical. So was I. That 10.0 is in the pages of Track & Field News. Not sure where however. I'll see if I can track it down. Trust me it happened or so it was written up in the mag. Ron Whitaker also ran a 10.0 for SJS.

[Texas]

What are those times (listed to .01) in the original post representing? They certainly didn't run them.

Those are 100 yards times.

[Brian]

Edwards having the better 200m NCAA career isn't the topic however. Who had the better 1976 Olympics, Hasley Crawford or Valery Borzov? Who was the faster sprinter? Who is better Richard Thompson or Asafa Powell? Who had the better 2008 Olympic final?

I don't think the world ever came close to seeing Edward's true potential at either the 100 or 200, as word was back then that he was allergic to practicing his starts. :]

No denying the sheer talent, though.