Tennessee’s Skinner Set Javelin MR In 1970

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

Tennessee’s Skinner Set Javelin MR In 1970

June 20, 1970

The story behind the 1970 NCAA javelin title and meet record captured by Bill Skinner of Tennessee is more unique than most. 

At the NCAA meet the previous year, in the qualifying round, he hurled the implement 273 feet, 3 inches, a mark superior to the meet record*. It was his only throw of the season, to date.

Going into the final, the big throw exhibited in qualifying made him the favorite; however, during a practice session he “ruined” his spear on an errant throw that plowed into … a shed. 

He said, “I had to use a different javelin (in the finals), and I lost all of my confidence.” 

It all adds to the lore of the 6-foot-6-inch tall Skinner, who won the title the next year, outright, with a valid meet-record throw of 270 feet, 8 inches (82.49m). 

He was an unlikely champion. As he told the Des Moines Register afterwards, “I was a welder and a sheet metal worker: I still do it whenever I can.”

Skinner quit high school at the age of 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He started throwing, at the age of 23, when a friend challenged him to a match. He didn’t enroll in college until he was 28, and by the time he won the NCAA crown, he was 31. 

Skinner was unable to defend his title as the following year he was kicked off the Tennessee team for … having a mustache. The whole-ordeal was famously covered by Sports Illustrated.

* The note here is that meet records, at the time, could not be set in non-final rounds. Also, the javelin implement changed in 1986 and any marks prior has been moved to the “legacy” section of the record books.

posted: December 28, 2020
1921-2021
The NCAA's First Championships

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.

Memorable Moments
Tough Keeping Up With This Jones

Jolanda Jones won three heptathlon titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and scored more than 6000 points twice.

Peters At Head Of Jav U’s Class

Anderson Peters won back-to-back javelin titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships and broke and bettered the meet record twice.

Fitzgerald Hurdled Into The Record Books
June 4, 1983

Benita Fitzgerald won back-to-back 100H titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 1982 & 1983, setting a collegiate record and meet record with her time of 12.84 in 1983.

An Illustrious Career For Charlie Craig

Charlie Craig won the triple jump at the 1964 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Then, after a long coaching career, he was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame!