Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service (wmurphy25@aol.com)
This Day in Track & Field-November 9
(1895 Vassar Games, 1906-1st U.S. Indoors/Born on This Day-Jana Pittman, Leah Pells/R.I.P.-Egil Danielsen, Alice Coachman, Dee Boeckmann)
1895—The Vassar College Games, the first college field day for women in the U.S., were held in light rain in Poughkeepsie, NY. Limited to Vassar students, the meet saw the first American Records in their respective events set by Annie Wilkinson (100y-heat/15-1/4), Helen Haight (220y/36-1/4), Laura Brownell (High Jump/4-0 [1.22m]), and Emma Baker (Long Jump/11-5 [3.48m]). Team scores were Class of ’97/24, Class of ’98/14, Class of ’96/5
(From Louise Tricard’s “American Women’s Track and Field: A History, 1895 Through 1980”)
1906–The first U.S. Indoor Championships were held at Madison Square Garden in New York (Nov.9-10). Among the winners were Mel Sheppard, who set an indoor record in the 1000y (2:17.8), A.C. Gilbert in the Pole Vault (10-9/3.25), and Martin Sheridan, who won three of the five events he entered. A member of the Irish-American A.C., Sheridan won the 8-pound shot put (61-8/18.79+), the Pole Vault for distance (27-1 1/4/8.26), and the 56-pound Weight Throw for height (15-3/4.64+)! He also finished 2nd to Ray Ewry in the standing Long Jump, and 3rd in the Triple Jump (known as the hop-step and jump in those days).
(From Wally Donovan’s History of Indoor Track & Field)
Past Indoor Champions
https://www.flipsnack.com/USATF/usatf-indoor-champions/full-view.html
1941–Future Hall-of-Famer Greg Rice (29:18.7) won the U.S. X-Country title (a little less than 6-miles) at the Empire City Race Track in NY. 2nd and 3rd were his NYAC teammates Jim Rafferty (29:56) and Joe McCluskey (30:23) as the club won the team title.
The National Marathon Championship, held at the same site after the XC race, was won by unheralded Joseph Smith in 2:36:06.8.
NY Times Obituary:
Past Winners(XC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Cross_Country_Championships
NY Times Coverage(for subscribers): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1941/11/10/87688617.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0
Born On This Day*
Jana Rawlinson-Pittman—Australia 43 (1982) 2-time World Champion—400m-hurdles (2003, 2007)
2-time Commonwealth Games Champion (2002, 2006)
2004 Olympic finalist (5th)…2000 (1st round);
1999 World Youth Champion ; 2000 World Junior Champion—400m, 400m-hurdles;
PBs:50.43 (’03), 53.22 (’03); Competed in Bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jana_Pittman
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/83273
2007 WC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAODbAQFON4
Debra Edwards-Armstrong 71 (1954) 2-time U.S. Olympian (1972-400/1st round), 1976-200 (semi-finalist/4×100-7th)
17-year old student at Worthing H.S. in Houston when she made the 1972 team
1975 U.S. Champion-200m
Married to Ainsley Armstrong, a 2-time Olympic sprinter for Trinidad & Tobago. Son Aaron was a gold medalist in the
4×100 at the 2008 Olympics—ran in the 1st round for Trinidad & Tobago
PBs: 22.96 (1976), 52.72 (1976)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debra_Armstrong
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77818
Deceased
Egil Danielsen—Norway 85 (1933-July 29, 2019) 1956 Olympic gold medalist—Javelin
Using a javelin borrowed from Poland’s Janusz Sidło, he threw 281-2 (85.71) in the final round
at the Olympics to break Sidło’s 5-month old World Record of 274-6 (83.66)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74124
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egil_Danielsen
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPmM56XXFHI
IAAF Obituary: https://www.worldathletics.org/heritage/news/egil-danielsen-obituary
World Record Progression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_javelin_throw_world_record_progression
https://www.usatf.org/statistics/calculators/markConversions/
Alice Coachman 90 (1923-July 14, 2014) 1948 Olympic gold medalist—High Jump (1st Black woman to win Olympic gold
in any sport).
Might have been a 3-time Olympic medalist had the 1940 and 1944 Games not been cancelled due to World War II
Won 10 straight U.S. titles from 1939-1948 (15 when she won her first title!);
3-time U.S. Indoor Champion (1941,1945-1946);
3-time U.S. Champion—100m (1942, 1945-1946); 5-time U.S. Champion—50m (1943-1947)
2-time U.S. Indoor Champion—50m (1945,1946)
Set two American Records in 1948 (5-5 1/5/1.86, 5-6 1/4/1.88+)
Former High School Record holder in the High Jump (5-4)
Named to the National Hall of Fame in 1975;
Member of the inaugural class of inductees into the National High School T&F Hall of Fame (2018)
In her hometown of Albany, Georgia, an elementary school was named in her honor, the Alice Coachman Elementary
School.
Interview Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovwmULL2-f0
NY Times Obituary: www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/sports/alice-coachman-90-dies-groundbreaking-medalist.html
Followup(2016): https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/obituaries/archives/alice-coachman
HOF Bio: https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/alice-coachman
H.S. HOF Bio: http://nationalhighschooltrackandfieldhof.org/showcase/alice-coachman/
Wiki Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Coachman
Delores “Dee” Boeckmann 82 (1906-April 25, 1989) 1928 U.S. Olympian—800m (1st round)
From Olympedia:
Was one of the US women who competed in the first Olympic track & field competition for women in 1928. She was
a pioneer of the sport in the United States, and for her efforts promoting the sport over the years she was elected
to the US Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1976. Boeckmann was the first U.S. Olympic women’s coach, at the 1936
Berlin Games. She was the first woman to chair a national Olympic committee when she assumed this responsibility
for track and field and the first woman national chair of the AAU track team.
http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/77761
https://www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/delores-dee-boeckmann
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Boeckmann