An Illustrious Career For Charlie Craig

Celebrating A Century of NCAA Track & Field Championships

An Illustrious Career For Charlie Craig

Charlie Craig not only found a new school in the fall of 1962, but a new event as well – the triple jump.

Newly enrolled at Fresno State, Craig was a 23-11¾ (7.31m) long jumper from Fresno City College before the California Community College Athletic Association even had the triple jump. In fact, the event was relatively new everywhere – even the NCAA didn’t hold the event every year until 1959.

Also new in 1963 was the NCAA College Division, a meet for smaller schools that predated the current Division I/II/III setup (larger schools then competed in the University Division).

The College Division was so strong in the new event that its 1-2 from that meet duplicated the finish at the University Division with Norm Tate of North Carolina Central beating Craig, 51-0¼ (15.55m) to 50-2¼ (15.29m).

The Tate/Craig duo returned in 1964 with a different order of finish as Craig won the College Division meet at 51-9¼ (15.78m), before taking the University Division competition with a wind-aided 51-8¾ (15.76m) to win by more than a foot as Tate was third.

Craig – who earlier in the season had set a collegiate record of 52-4 (15.95m) – had two other marks in the meet that would have won at 51-1½ (15.58m) and 51-0¼ (15.55m).

After retiring from competition, Craig became a Hall of Fame coach, starting the Cal State Bakersfield program from scratch in 1972. Under his tutelage the Roadrunner program had 18 NCAA Division II champions and 195 All-Americans. Craig was inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008.

posted: October 17, 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
Kendell Williams Was Multi-Talented

Kendell Williams of Georgia won seven career national titles in the combined events, including three heptathlon crowns at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Enyeart Set Meet Record In 800 Meters
June 4, 1977

Mark Enyeart won two career 800-meter titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor T&F Championships in 1957 and 1977. He set a meet record of 1:45.16 with his victory in 1977.

Whiting Dominated SP, Nearly Set Outdoor CR
June 12, 2010

Ryan Whiting won back-to-back shot put titles at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2009 and 2010, narrowly missing the collegiate record in the last year.