McCullouch Ran Legendary Times At NCAAs

An amazing collection of talent graced the 120-yard hurdles final at the 1967 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The meet’s past two winners – Southern California’s Paul Kerry (1965) and Ron Copeland of UCLA (1966) – were joined by three upcoming greats who were in their first year of varsity eligibility: sophomores Richmond Flowers (Tennessee) and Erv Hall (Villanova), along with junior college transfer Earl McCullouch (USC).

With the meet being held at high altitude in BYU’s Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah, fast times were expected and the meet record of 13.6 (co-held by Kerry) was equaled in the heats by Flowers and McCullouch despite each running into a headwind.

Day 2 of the three-day meet had both the semifinals and final scheduled. In the first semi, Flowers lowered the MR to 13.4 as Copeland was also under the old record at 13.5. McCullouch won the second semi in 13.5 as both races were again run into the wind.

The final came an hour later. McCullouch and Flowers were both great starters, but the Trojan was easily out best and led at the first hurdle, a lead that held up all the way to the end. McCullouch hit the last two barriers, which allowed Flowers to nearly catch him as McCullouch equaled the MR of 13.4 while Flowers ran 13.5, again into the wind. Hall (13.5) and Copeland (13.6) followed while Kerry (13.9) was sixth.

The finish was actually much closer – Bulova Phototimer results showed McCullouch and Flowers with auto times of 13.47 and 13.50, respectively.

McCullouch, however, wasn’t done.

The next day, he teamed with three 100-yard finalists for the 4×110-yard relay, in which USC was heavily favored – just a week earlier, the foursome of McCullouch, Fred Kuller, O.J. Simpson and Lennox Miller set a world record of 39.0. Here they went even faster at 38.6 to win by a whopping 1.7 seconds – still the largest margin in event history (men or women).

McCullouch got his own world record in the summer of 1967, tying the 110-meter hurdle standard of 13.2.

In 1968, McCullouch again won the NCAA 120 highs (another close finish as he and Hall tied the MR at 13.4), and the same USC 440 relay team won again, though “only” in 39.5. McCullouch chose a pro football career late in the summer of 1968 after being drafted by the Detroit Lions as a wide receiver.