R.I.P. Payton Jordan

[tandfman]

The legendary Stanford track coach was 91.

http://www.mercurynews.com/sportsheadlines/ci_11642348

[Texas]

Sorry to hear that. Saw him run a couple times in those "mature men who can still run"..deals. You could see the talent even then. One of the very few to ever beat the great Hal Davis.

[Marlow]

He was my college coach (not that he would have remembered me), and he was a very daunting presence! You knew that you were with someone who was at the top of the game.

[TrackCEO]

Besides being a masters track god, he would have won sprint medals at the 1940 or 1944 Olympic Games, had they been held.

I'm writing an obituary here:
http://masterstrack.com/blog/005345.html

What a huge loss for track.

K E N

[lonewolf]

I did not know Payton Jordan but saw him run in Masters Meets several times and was always grateful he was a couple of age groups ahead of me.

[Texas]

Besides being a masters track god, he would have won sprint medals at the 1940 or 1944 Olympic Games, had they been held.

I'm writing an obituary here:
http://masterstrack.com/blog/005345.html

What a huge loss for track.

K E N

A 4x1..Payton Jordan..Mozelle Ellerbe..Barney Ewell..Hal Davis

Well there's one gold.

[gh]

Three different (and all very readable) obits now posted to front page.

[gh]

I'm slightly surprised that the most "famous" moment in Payt's coaching history is going unmentioned: the banning of Patrick Morrison. In googling, I found this reference

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/maga ... tters.html

[TrackCEO]

No funeral is planned, but a celebration by his former athletes is possible in the Stanford area. Anyone have details on such a celebration?

Here's all I know:
http://masterstrack.com/blog/005399.html

K E N

[TrackCEO]

The event is now set for Friday night, May 1, before the meet:
http://masterstrack.com/blog/005415.html

K E N

[TrackCEO]

Mary Jo Alexander, meet director of Stanford's Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, writes:

As you know, the track & field world suffered a great loss last month when legendary coach Payton Jordan passed away at the age of 91. As a longtime Stanford track & field coach (1957-79), Payton Jordan produced seven Olympians, six world record holders, six national champions, and lead the Cardinal to an NCAA runner-up finish.

Most people talk about Coach Jordan in reference to track & field, but those fortunate enough to spend time with him personally know there was much more to this great man. He was an outstanding leader, a father to all of his athletes, and a wonderful human being.

Coach Jordan had the exceptional ability to inspire people to expand their wings and fly to new heights both on and off the track. Please join us in celebrating Coach Jordan's incredible life in conjunction with the Payton Jordan Cardinal Track & Field Inviational:

Payton Jordan Memorial Dinner: A Celebration of the Ol' Coach Friday, May 1, 2009, Stanford Faculty Club. 6:00 p.m. Business Attire. RSVP to Mary Jo Alexander at [email protected] by Monday, April 13, 2009

K E N

[fastpete]

s."

[lonewolf]

Larry Questad won it in 9.3. In dual meets, Questad beat Tommie Smith often enough."

Kinda off topic and I may have told this before but here goes.
I got acquainted withLarry Questad when the NCAA was held at Boise circa 1994, He tells a humorous story about how he came to attend Stanford.
Larry was All-State in just about every sport AND valdictorian at a small school in Montana. He was deluged with academic and athletic offers from many D1 universities.
His parents, recognizing Larry's and their relative insophistication in academic matters, as well as the "outside world" at large , decided the wisest course was to accept an academic scholarship to what they perceived as Leland Stanford Junior College in California while he adjusted to the big world.
Larry said it quickly became evident that he was not as smart as his parents thought he was but was possibly a better athlete. Leland Stanford,Jr. University switched his academic scholarship to athletic. No harm done.

[James Fields]

delete

[gh]

Jordan went to USC, not Stanford.