ACU’s Morrow Doubled Twice, Set WRs
Bobby Morrow of Abilene Christian had a simple answer after running a world record in the heats of the 1957 NCAA Championships.
“I had to win it,” Morrow explained. “If you win you get that choice middle lane for the finals.”
A triple Olympic gold medalist the previous fall, Morrow was placed in the same NCAA 100-yard heat as Western Michigan’s Ira Murchison, a fellow Olympic relay gold medalist, as well as superb starter (some called him the “Human Sputnik”). Most race accounts have Murchison blasting to an immediate lead that he held until about 80 yards, at which point Morrow rocketed past to victory in 9.3, equal to the world record and a new meet record*. Murchison, who felt Morrow did not pass him until the last 5 yards, was also clocked in 9.3.
“Murch got out on me – he always does,” Morrow told the press afterwards. “Of course, if he hadn’t gotten that start on me I might have relaxed and done no good at all.”
Morrow won the NCAA final in 9.4 (overcoming another great start by Murchison), then completed his second-straight NCAA sprint double by winning the 220 in 21.0.
His first NCAA sprint double also featured a world record – this time at 200 meters, as he won easily and tied the world record of 20.6 (He would end the 1956 season with three such times as WRs). However, his 100 victory captured more attention, avenging a loss at the Drake Relays to Duke’s Dave Sime that ended Morrow’s 31-race winning streak.
Morrow – a native of San Benito, Texas (near Brownsville at the southern tip of Texas) – was Abilene Christian’s first NCAA champion in any sport, but he didn’t arrive on the NCAA scene unannounced. As a freshman in 1955, he collected the first of three 100-200 doubles at the NAIA Championships, winning the century in a wind-aided 9.1 – equal to the fastest-ever recorded at the time, under any conditions.
Morrow passed away on May 30 at age 84.
*The race broke a significant logjam of legends having a share of the oldest meet record then on the books – 9.4 set in 1929 by George Simpson and equaled by Frank Wykoff (1930), Ralph Metcalfe (1933) and Jesse Owens (1936), all WRs at the time by stars already who’ve been featured in our series of great NCAA moments. That 9.4 MR was untouched until Morrow’s 9.3 in 1957.
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.
Oregon’s Burleson Races To Meet’s First Sub-4 Mile
ON THIS DAY: Dyrol Burleson of Oregon recorded the first sub-4 minute mile in meet history at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Burleson finished in 3:59.8 and used a 55.2 closing lap to seal the deal.
Nebraska’s Greene Equals 100-Yard World Record
ON THIS DAY IN 1967: Charlie Greene of Nebraska equaled the world record in the 100 yards with his time of 9.1 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Twice As Nice For Texas’ Richards In 2003
ON THIS DAY: Sanya Richards of Texas became the first freshman (man or woman) to win the 400 & double back to anchor the winning 4×400 relay team.
Hubbard Makes World History At NCAAs
ON THIS DAY: DeHart Hubbard of Michigan achieved the first ratified world record ever set at the NCAA Championships in 1925.
Barringer Caps Legendary Collegiate Career
Exactly 11 years ago, Jenny Barringer of Colorado became the first woman to win the steeplechase three times in a career at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Villanova’s Reid Completes Historic 1500-5K Double
Sheila Reid of Villanova completed the first 1500-5K double at the same NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 11, 2011!
Brazier Makes History Two Laps At A Time
Donavan Brazier of Texas A&M set the collegiate record of 1:43.55 in the Men’s 800 Meters at the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championships.
Wottle Leads Eight Men Under Four Minutes
On this day in 1973, Dave Wottle of Bowling Green led eight runners under the 4-minute barrier for the mile – just the second time such depth had occurred anywhere in the world.
Fight On! Southern California’s Historic Day
Three collegiate records in 80 minutes is what Southern California’s men’s team did ON THIS DAY back in 2018.
Holloway’s Texas Two-Step Into The Record Book
On this day in 2019, Grant Holloway of Florida broke Renaldo Nehemiah’s 40-year-old collegiate record in the Men’s 110 Hurdles.