U of. Texas track history

[BillVol]

In going through my late mother's belongings, I found a 1960 almanac, which I think she must have stolen from her college's library, since I don't think you can check reference books out.

In the sports section of this almanac, they have NCAA and HS track records (male only). Several of the records at the time were set in Austin. (I think two of the college records and one of the prep records.)

This makes me think that Texas has a longer history in track than I'd thought. Was Texas track and field a power in the early '60s and before?

When I have some time, I may post all of those records in the book my mom stole. I don't guess that is copyrighted material.

[rhymans]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Texas had it's first world class athlete in 1906. It's history was well documented in a 1978 book - "Champions" by Carlton Stowers [Randy Matson's biographer] and Wilbur Evans, and it was published by the Strode Press

[BillVol]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Texas had it's first world class athlete in 1906. It's history was well documented in a 1978 book - "Champions" by Carlton Stowers [Randy Matson's biographer] and Wilbur Evans, and it was published by the Strode Press

Interesting. Don't mess with Texas!

OK, not going to type them all out now, but here are the records I was speaking of, all set in Austin...This is how they appeared in the almanac, including the "....."

NCAA

100 yds...9.3s....Bobby Morrow (Abilene Christian)...June 14, 1957 [tied with several others]
880 yds...1m, 47.2s...Don Bowden (Calif.)...June 15, 1957

HS

440 yard relay...0:41.5...Shoemaker, Nelson, Cormier, Merritt...Andrews (TX)...1960

[CKuykendall]

Re: U of. Texas track history

I neither own, nor have read, the Champions book, and don't know much pre-1960 Texas track & field history, whether we're talking about the state of Texas generally or the University of Texas (UT) specifically. I do know that the Texas Relays started in 1925. One of the featured star athletes that year was to be Joie Ray, who had given Paavo Nurmi good competition in an indoor mile race at Madison Square Garden the preceding January (4-13 3/5 for Nurmi to 4:14 for Ray, a three-yard margin). Ray, however, I think had incurred a slight injury at a meet at Rice, shortly before the Texas Relays, and lost to UT's Jim Reese who subsequently won the 1925 NCAA mile.

I know almost nothing about it, but some of the principals affiliated with the Federation of American Statisticians of Track (FAST) have put some effort into digging up old marks, from the first few decades of the 20th century, from Texas. I'm guessing this is an unfinished project in need of volunteers and in need of somebody's knowledgeable direction. Combing old Texas newspapers systematically is hard, because there are a lot of them and they're scattered hither and yon. The State Library and Archives Commission has certain newspapers for certain years, the Center for American History at UT (formerly the Barker Texas History Center) has certain other newspapers for certain other years, and other libraries and depositories have something different still. Availability is very disorganized, compared to, say, what the Wisconsin State Historical Society has centrally located, for Wisconsin newspapers, on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison.

[dukehjsteve]

Re: U of. Texas track history

If you talk U. of Texas Track in the late 50's and then 1960... there is one name... Eddie Southern.

[Dixon]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Longhorn sprinter Dean Smith took 4th in the 1952 100m and won a gold in the 4x1. He'd become a Hollywood stuntman. I'm thinking he was the first "great" U of Texas sprinter.

From 1951

1 James Golliday USA 10.3
1 Dean Smith USA 10.3
3 Donald Campbell USA 10.5
3 James Ford USA 10.5
3 Bob Work USA USA 10.5
3 George Brown USA 10.5
7 Arthur Bragg USA 10.6
7 Eddie Conwell USA 10.6
7 Andrew Stanfield USA 10.6
7 Jesse Thomas USA 10.6

[dj]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Longhorn sprinter Dean Smith took 4th in the 1952 100m and won a gold in the 4x1. He'd become a Hollywood stuntman. I'm thinking he was the first "great" U of Texas sprinter.

From 1951

1 James Golliday USA 10.3
1 Dean Smith USA 10.3
3 Donald Campbell USA 10.5
3 James Ford USA 10.5
3 Bob Work USA USA 10.5
3 George Brown USA 10.5
7 Arthur Bragg USA 10.6
7 Eddie Conwell USA 10.6
7 Andrew Stanfield USA 10.6
7 Jesse Thomas USA 10.6

Depends on your concept of greatness.

Carlton Terry and Earl Collins in the '40s would have been world-ranked in the top 5, and before that there would have been Chink Wallender in 1936 among the top 10.

[Dixon]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Longhorn sprinter Dean Smith took 4th in the 1952 100m and won a gold in the 4x1. He'd become a Hollywood stuntman. I'm thinking he was the first "great" U of Texas sprinter.

From 1951

1 James Golliday USA 10.3
1 Dean Smith USA 10.3
3 Donald Campbell USA 10.5
3 James Ford USA 10.5
3 Bob Work USA USA 10.5
3 George Brown USA 10.5
7 Arthur Bragg USA 10.6
7 Eddie Conwell USA 10.6
7 Andrew Stanfield USA 10.6
7 Jesse Thomas USA 10.6

Depends on your concept of greatness.

Carlton Terry and Earl Collins in the '40s would have been world-ranked in the top 5, and before that there would have been Chink Wallender in 1936 among the top 10.

Dean Smith was far more accomplished than any of those and yes I'm well aware of them. If we look at lists from back then only Terry shows up (top 10), what did any of those guys do?

[gh]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Don't forget Charley Parker.

2nd in the NCAA 200 in '48 (behind Mel Patton), winner of the 200 in '50. 6th and 4th in the 100 those two years.

[Dixon]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Don't forget Charley Parker.

2nd in the NCAA 200 in '48 (behind Mel Patton), winner of the 200 in '50. 6th and 4th in the 100 those two years.

Dean Smith won the 52 100m at our Nationals, he'd take third in both 54/55. Now add his Olympic success and I can't see any Texas sprinter more accomplished even today. Easy to say that Dean Smith was the best sprinter the Longhorns ever had.

It is strange that a school like Texas has been as sprint poor as they have been. They
've never had a sub 10.05 guy even among the alum. Never had anyone medal in an Olympic sprint other than the relay.

If we look at their best sprinters based on times...

Tony Jones
Johnny Jones
Jamaal Charles
Brenden Christian
Amar Johnson

.....that's pretty weak actually.

[gh]

Re: U of. Texas track history

Here's the question as posed by the original poster

<<This makes me think that Texas has a longer history in track than I'd thought. Was Texas track and field a power in the early '60s and before? >>

Why are you starting a pissing match over people listing great historical figures?

Quit hijacking threads for your own personal train of thought.

[BillVol]

Re: U of. Texas track history

That was my point exactly, gh. I thought it interesting that in a 1960 almanac that three records had been set in Austin. Makes me think that something had been going on trackwise in Austin for longer than I'd thought.

[gh]

Re: U of. Texas track history

go here to find my NCAA History.

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index. ... mpionships

Simple enough to run a search by school for any event you want.

The 100 will show you that the first Longhorn scorer in the event was Aubrey Cockrell in 1927.

[BillVol]

Re: U of. Texas track history

go here to find my NCAA History.

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index. ... mpionships

Simple enough to run a search by school for any event you want.

The 100 will show you that the first Longhorn scorer in the event was Aubrey Cockrell in 1927.

Awesome. Incredible resource. Guess I need to do more digging on this website than just the message boards.

[BillVol]

Re: U of. Texas track history

g: the link to pre-NCAA womens is not working