Twice As Nice For Texas’ Richards In 2003
On this day in 2003, Sanya Richards of Texas became the first freshman (man or woman) to win the 400 in this meet and double back to anchor a winning 4×400 relay team. Her 400 victory was over three past or future NCAA champions as she set an American U20 (Junior) record of 50.58 and later brought the Longhorns from behind to victory in the 4×4 with a 51.2 split.
Richards (now Richards-Ross) was inspired by her coach, Bev Kearney — who, at the time, was the only black head coach (man or woman) to win an NCAA track & field team championship at the NCAA DI level. The future USTFCCCA Hall of Fame coach was then early in her recovery from a serious car accident the previous December.
“Personally, I just love her to death,” Richards told Jon Hendershott of Track & Field News. “To see her in a wheelchair and fighting every day just to walk – while she’s telling you to fight to run – makes her words so much more inspirational.”
Richards would become an inspiration herself, breaking 50 seconds in the summer of 2004 and finishing her career in 2016 with 49 sub-50 performances, the most by any woman. Her 48.70 from 2006 remains the fastest ever recorded by an American.
The NCAA and collegiate track & field will mark a momentous milestone in the spring of 2021 -- the 100th anniversary of the NCAA Championships and with that, the NCAA Track & Field Championships. In June 1921, the University of Chicago hosted the first track & field championships in NCAA history.
This point can’t be emphasized enough: Not only was the event the first for NCAA track & field, but the first championships for any sport under the sponsorship of the NCAA.
To celebrate, over each of the next 365 days, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will celebrate moments, student-athletes, and coaches that have made a century’s worth of championships special. From humble beginnings to important historical milestones to the modern-day, collegiate track & field has evolved with the American society.
The 2021 edition of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships begin with preliminary round action on May 27-29 in Jacksonville, Fla., and College Station, Texas. The championships final site and culmination of the celebration is slated for June 9-12, 2021 at the newly rebuilt Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Thomas Gives NCAA Meet First 7-Footer
John Thomas of Boston University was the first athlete to clear 7 feet in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Lindgren Had No Peer In NCAA
Gerry Lindgren of Washington State swept the 3-mile/5K & 6-mile/10K at the NCAA Outdoor Championships three consecutive times between 1966 and 1968.
UCLA’s Acuff Ascends To Record Heights
Amy Acuff of UCLA set a still-standing meet record in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1995.
“Invincible” Randy Matson Dominates The Throws
Randy Matson of Texas A&M set multiple world records in the shot put and dominated that event and the discus in the collegiate scene.
Texas’ Reid Unrivaled At 400 Meters
Suziann Reid of Texas is the only athlete in NCAA history – regardless of division – with three 400-meter crowns and four 4×400 relay titles.
For The Helds, The Javelin Is A Family Affair
Bud Held of Stanford is one of only two men in NCAA DI history to win three consecutive javelin titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The 440-220 Double Is So Nice, McKenley Did It Twice
Herb McKenley of Illinois completed the difficult 440-220 double twice at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Davis Rolls To Collegiate Record In 1989
Pauline Davis of Alabama set a collegiate record of 50.18 in the 400 Meters at the 1989 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Dillard Hurdles To NCAA, World Glory
Harrison Dillard won the 120-yard and 220-yard hurdles in back-to-back years in 1946 and 1947.
Simpson Sprints To All-Time Mark In 1929
In 1929, George Simpson of Ohio State was so far ahead of his time that he set a world record in the 100 yards that couldn’t be ratified.